BCCI toying with the idea of playing Pakistan in September 2019 in UAE?

The diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan have nose-dived further, over the past few days, after foreign minister-level talks were called off by India, citing the killing of three policemen in Jammu & Kashmir and the release of postage stamps “glorifying” militant Burhan Wani. Even in this kind of political climate, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) could be contemplating playing a series against Pakistan in September in 2019.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, a senior BCCI official, in the know of ongoing developments between the BCCI and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in the UAE on the sidelines of the 2018 Asia Cup, confirmed the same. “BCCI CEO Rahul Johri has been holding talks with PCB officials and he is expected to hold final talks with the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators – Vinod Rai and Diana Edulji -- before making the announcement. If he does get the go-ahead from the concerned people, the decision shall be made public around Wednesday,” he said on conditions of anonymity.

Hindustan Times has reached out to the BCCI CEO for a comment on the matter, but he is yet to respond to the message.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, another senior official said that the news of the development comes as a surprise considering the current tense situation between the two countries.

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“This piece of news comes as a surprise to me and I am skeptical about it but if it is true I must say that those involved are traitors to the cause. They have been talking about political climate as the reason for not playing Pakistan all this while.”

“Do they realise that the External Affairs Ministry recently came out with a strong statement with regard to overtures from Pakistan? There appears to be more to it than meets the eye in this sudden planning and development,” the BCCI official said.

The BCCI and the PCB has been fighting a legal battle after India decided not to play two bilateral series in November 2014 and December 2015. The PCB is claiming up to $70 million in losses due to the cancellation and the hearing will take place in Dubai with Hon Michael Beloff QC chairing the Dispute Panel. The matter is expected to be heard between October 1 and 3. The ICC also made it clear that decision of the Dispute Panel shall be non-appealable.

Interestingly, PCB chief Ehsan Mani has said that he has had positive talks with the members of the BCCI during the ongoing Asia Cup. “I have already had a very constructive discussion with my colleagues from India who are here. We’ll have a lot of common ground going forward. We all understand whatever has happened in the past has happened; we have to move forward. At the end of the day, the game is bigger than any one person, it’s bigger than the politicians. It reaches out across global spectrum,” he said.

First Published: Sep 24, 2018 08:43 IST