Daily Times

LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday served a legal notice on the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) for failing to honour an agreement as well as claiming damages for the cancellation of a proposed home series between the two arch-rivals. A spokesman for the PCB told Daily Times that the notice was sent after BCCI’s refusal to honour their contractual agreement. “The PCB sent a notice of dispute to the BCCI, under the Dispute Resolution Committee Terms of Reference of the International Cricket Council (ICC TORs), for breaching the agreement executed between the PCB and BCCI in respect of the Future Tour Programme for the period 2015-2023. The PCB has claimed losses and damage suffered as a result of BCCI’s breach of the agreement,” the spokesman added. He said the PCB had claimed $60 million from the BCCI in lost revenues. PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan had earlier told national media on several occasions that the board was considering taking legal action against the BCCI.

The BCCI had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the PCB in 2014 under which they were due to play six series – four to be hosted by Pakistan – between 2015 and 2023. But New Delhi denied clearance for the series following strained diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan owing to ceasefire violations in the disputed Himalayan state of Kashmir. Under the agreement India were due to take on Pakistan in November-December 2015, but they refused to play in the neutral venues of United Arab Emirates or Sri Lanka. Pakistan are due to tour India in November-December of this year but that is also highly unlikely as New Delhi continues a boycott of bilateral series which started in the wake of the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The attacks, blamed on militants from Pakistan, left 166 people dead including foreign tourists and brought the two nations close to another war. Pakistan did tour India for a short limited-over series in December 2012 but the arch-rivals have not played a full bilateral series since 2007.

The government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also refused visas to Pakistan’s junior hockey team, wrestling team and squash players in the last 12 months. The spokesman said if the BCCI did not reply in seven days the matter would be taken to the International Cricket Council’s Dispute Committee. Cricket matches between Pakistan and India attract millions of viewers around the world and generate huge revenues. Despite the bilateral boycott the teams have faced each other in ICC events and are due to meet in a Champions Trophy match in Birmingham on June 4 this year.