PCB chairman Shahryar Khan threatens to boycott India in ICC events

PCB chief Shahrayar Khan has hit out at BCCI saying Pakistan will boycott India at major ICC events

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shahryar Khan has threatened to boycott India at ICC and Asian Cricket Council events if BCCI refuse to play the proposed series against Pakistan in December, reported DNA.

The future of the series was thrown into serious doubt following the Gurdaspur terrorist attacks in July with BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur stating in the aftermath of the incident that cricket and terrorism can’t go hand in hand.

Shaharyar Khan wrote a letter to Thakur asking the BCCI to make its stance on the series clear, but the only response was when senior board official and possibly next BCCI president Rajeev Shukla commented that there were still issues to be sorted out.

Khan had since stated that the fate of the series was in the hands of the BCCI alone and had suggested that he would not shy away from taking legal action if India pulled out of the tour, citing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the two boards in March this year which stated that India and Pakistan were set to play six bilateral series over an eight-year period starting with the one in December.

The PCB chief has now come out with a hard-hitting statement in which he said that he was highly disappointed by the way the Indian cricket board was handling the situation, as the BCCI is yet to seek permission from the concerned ministry for the series.

"Nothing is final or decided as yet but if the Indian Board officially backs out of the series, then we have the option of boycotting all matches against them in ICC and ACC events as well," Khan was quoted as saying by 'Express' newspaper. "I am not saying we have decided to do this or we will do it but certainly if we don't get to host our home series in December, then we have to consider appropriate action as well.”

Khan confirmed that he is yet to receive a response from BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur over the letter and went on to criticise him for his negative comments regarding the series stating that he was doing so because of his political allegiances.

"I sent the letter on 28 August and I am still waiting for a reply. They (the BCCI) should tell us whether they want to play the series or not. Because if they say they don't have government clearance and refuse to play the series, then we reserve the right to act against the Indian Board for not honoring an agreement at every level," Khan said.