We need the BCCI to agree to play a bilateral series: Najam Sethi

Pakistan Cricket Board executive committee chairman Najam Sethi has appealed to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to organize a bilateral series between India and Pakistan in the upcoming calendar year. Sethi, who served as the chairman of the PCB prior to the re-appointment of Shahryar Khan also said that the board is bleeding financially due to the lack of cricket in Pakistan as well as the lack of cricket against India.

Sethi then went on to underline the hopefulness he had for cricketing ties between India and Pakistan to resume following the ongoing political unrest in both countries that is prevailing at the moment. He also mentioned that the PCB had been offered handouts and loans from the BCCI but that would not come close to having a good revenue from the bilateral series between the two nations.

“We are hopeful that once the situation improves cricket can be played, but the tragedy is that whenever relations start to improve and we become optimistic about playing against them something happens,” Sethi said.

“We were offered loans but we said we were not asking for a loan or handouts. We want the ICC to set up a special fund for us until the Indian cricket board agrees to play bilateral cricket with us. They have not given us our due right to host bilateral series since 2007 and we have bled financially because of that,” Sethi said.

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Najam Sethi also went on to reveal the fact that the board has requested the ICC to setup a special fund for the growth of Pakistan cricket. He also went on to state that hosting matches in the UAE are not profitable at all.

“We have told the ICC that if India starts playing against us in bilateral series and meets it bilateral commitments with us we can return the money of the special fund to the ICC,” Sethi said.

“This time we gave our message across very clear that is why they have agreed for the special fund. We told them that hosting matches in UAE have not been profitable for us and we will even ask the Emirates board through the ICC to rent us out grounds on concession rates.”

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