LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shahryar Khan said the board is still hopeful of hosting the Indian cricket team on home soil.
“Tensions between the countries should not affect cricketing relations,” the PCB chairman said, while addressing the media in Gujranwala.
“The board is still working to resume cricket with India,” he added.
The PCB chairman’s comments come days after he said Pakistan won’t kneel down before India for a series. “It does not matter whether we play India or not as already no series has not taken place in so many years,” he said, while talking to media at Pindi Stadium late Tuesday.
Commenting on the proposal of Pakistan-India series in December in UAE, Shahryar said the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not yet replied on the proposal.
However, BCCI vice-president TC Mathew on Friday said that India has not really rejected the idea of Pakistan-India series in December and the reply on the series is expected in October.
Mathew, who was in Dubai on Friday at the opening of the Kricket’s Spearo Academy told Sports360, “Look, it’s only September and the series is scheduled in December so maybe in October they could make a call.”
Further, the PCB chairman said the board will decide about the return of Muhammad Asif and Salman Butt to first-class cricket once their rehabilitation programme is completed.
Explaining the conditions of their return, Shahryar said as per the directives of ICC, PCB has devised a programme, under which the two players are visiting different cities and meeting players and association members.
”They will inform the players what they had done and admit they are ashamed of it,” the PCB chairman said, adding that upon completion of their rehabilitation programme the board will evaluate their performance and decide whether they should be allowed to play first-class cricket.
Shahryar further said Muhammad Amir’s case is different from that of Asif and Butt. “ICC had forgiven Amir and the board was informed that he could qualify to play domestic cricket. Hence, he was given a chance to play in domestic T20 recently,” said PCB chairman.