PCB want alternative series if India refuse to tour Pakistan

[LahoriMunda]

PCB want alternative series if India refuse to tour Pakistan

KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has chalked out a strategy to press the International Cricket Council (ICC) to arrange for alternate/replacement teams if India refuses to tour or play against Pakistan in the scheduled series of the Future Tours Programme (FTP).

Though the venue for the next meeting of the ICC Executive board this October has not yet been finalized, but 'The News' has learnt that Pakistan cricket authorities are waiting to see what is the response from the Indians when it comes to resumption of bilateral cricket ties.

"They are also chances that Pakistan might offer to host the ICC meeting in October since the South African team would also be touring at that time. And in the past Pakistan has hosted ICC delegates," said a source in the Board.

He stated that wherever the ICC board meets, but the PCB has prepared a strategy under which it would press the ICC and its members to arrange some alternate teams/compensation for Pakistan if the Indian government still does not allow its team to tour Pakistan early next year.

The tour by India scheduled for late February-March in 2004 is part of the FTP programme although originally Pakistan was to tour India in the same period. But since the Indians didn't tour Pakistan in April 2003 Pakistan board has asked the Indians to first tour Pakistan in lieu of that tour when bilateral ties are resumed and it has also informed the ICC about this shift in arrangements.

The Indian board has conveyed that it would tour Pakistan early next year if its government gives clearance for the tour. "However, this time the PCB is making advance arrangements to avoid another cancelled tour and loss of revenues if the Indian government does not change its policy on cricket ties with Pakistan," the source said. Smart move.. Indians ka koi bharoosa nahi hai so its better to be prepared

"By October the scenario would be clearer if they are realistic chances of India coming to Pakistan. And if the chances are dim than the Pakistan board will ask the ICC to arrange for alternate teams to tour Pakistan in place of India or arrange for compensation."

"This to avoid loss of revenues and also to ensure the Pakistan team does not go without cricket," the source added.

According to him so far the response from the Indian side on the proposal to have a Friendship series in September (two matches one each in Pakistan and India) to resume the bilateral ties has not been very positive.

"The Pakistan board knows that it is highly unlikely that bilateral ties would be resumed this year and this breakthrough might not come until next year. But it is still not taking chances," the source added.

With Indian Premier Atal Bihari Vajpayee stating the other day that he would be attending the SAARC summit in Pakistan in January next year, experts believe that he does come to Pakistan than they are very bright chances of the Indian team being allowed to play in Pakistan by March-April.

[LahoriMunda]

Senior Indian players reluctant to play in Pakistan

By Waheed Khan

KARACHI: The resumption of bilateral cricket ties between Pakistan and India next year is threatened by senior Indian players who have expressed their reluctance to play in Pakistan. According to sources in the Pakistan Board, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is unlikely to push its government to clear its Test tour to Pakistan in March 2004 because of the response it is getting from senior Indian players.

"Basically senior Indian players have conveyed to the Indian board that they are not keen to tour Pakistan after a hectic tour of Australia which ends in late February 2004," said a well informed source. "More importantly some of the leading Indian players also believe that touring Pakistan at this time is not an attractive proposition," he disclosed.

According to him the proposal of having a "Friendship series" of two international matches in September had also been virtually ruled out by the BCCI because of the response it has got from its leading players. Pakistan had agreed to a proposal that a "Friendship series" of two one-dayers be held (one each in India and Pakistan) in September to kick off bilateral cricket ties between the two countries which have been suspended since June 2000 on the insistence of the Indian government.

However, with the recent thaw in diplomatic relations between the two governments, the Indian Ministry of sports has cleared the BCCI to allow Under-19 and 'A" teams of India to play against Pakistan and in Pakistan in Asian Cricket Foundation (ACF) tournaments in the next six months.

The source said it was because of the signals that the PCB had got from the BCCI on next year's tour that it was planning to press the International Cricket Council (ICC) Executive Board at its next scheduling meeting in October in the West Indies to arrange for alternate team (s) series for Pakistan if India again pulls out of its tour.

Interestingly the general consensus in Indian cricket circles is that the Indian government and BCCI need not rush into resuming bilateral cricket ties with Pakistan specially at the Test match level and these can wait for a while.

Which generally explains the attitude of the Indian players towards touring Pakistan next year. The Indian Test team has not toured Pakistan since 1989 when it played four Tests against Imran Khan's side in a stalemate series.

However, India did tour Pakistan in September 1997 for a series of three One-dayers and than an Indian 'A' team also visited Pakistan in 1998. An Indian 'A' team is now expected to visit Pakistan to take part in the ACF triangular one-day series from November 1-10.

But the source said that the feeling in the Pakistan board was despite the reservations by the Indian players if the BCCI wanted it could force its players to tour Pakistan next year. To make matters more complicated the BCCI is also pushed to host a team at home early next year when India returns from Australia in late February in order to meet a contractual obligation with their television right holders Doordarshan. Under the contractual obligation if the BCCI does not host any international team early next year in March for a short series it stands to lose out on 460 million rupees as its contract with Doordarshan says it has to organize 27 days of international cricket every season.

Till now only 20 days of international cricket are planned by the BCCI against New Zealand and Australia this season. But the PCB source said if Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee did visit Pakistan in January next year for the SAARC summit than their would be brighter chances of India resuming ties with Pakistan but a scenario could also develop where the BCCI might request Pakistan to tour in March to also meet its contractual obligations and pave the way for resumption of regular ties. "This way the BCCI would also be taking care of the interests of its players who are not keen to tour Pakistan immediately," the source stated.

[Spock]

The article doesnt mention why the Indian players are reluctant? If they provide a valid reason, I am sure arrangements can be made to make them satisfied, and everyone else can enjoy a great series, a clas of the arch rivals!

[teaser]

As long as PCB keep crying on Indian tour of PAK, India will never start playing cricket with PAK. All PCB needs to do is quit asking to restart the cricketing ties between the two countries and look for other country tours.

[UMAIR316]

What a bunch of cowards, I expected the monkeys in New Delhi to behave that way but not the cricketers.
If you are said to be good enough to play international cricket, then you should be ready for busy schedules.
Look at the Aussies for example, they played from August last year to end of may with only a month break before WC.
They still dominated their opponents.
PS - India's tour to Australia ends in mid January and the series against Pakistan doesn't start till mid april, that is 3 months of well earned break, this is more then most teams get these days.
When will they learn.

[Asif_k]

So Umair316 - you started trusting JUNG ?? It isn't a tabloid any more ??
Also get your facts straight, India is returning from Australia in FEBRUARY and not in MID-JANUARY after a 3 month away tour. Again in April they have to go to Bangladesh, so only month they are left with is MARCH. I was just wondering how you calculated 3 months between Australian and Bangladeshi Tour.

In any case, I dont think Players have much of a choice here, If the Govt gives the go ahead, Tour will go on regardless of what Players want

Btw it doesn't mean that I trust the so called sources of 'JUNG' because they dont even know that It is Pakistan which is scheduled to tour India in FEB-MARCH.

[LahoriMunda]

Originally posted by Asif_k:
Btw it doesn't mean that I trust the so called sources of 'JUNG' because they dont even know that It is Pakistan which is scheduled to tour India in FEB-MARCH.

Whenever its something you like its ok to post from rediff.com but if something comes up that you dont like then the newpaper is trash. I dont know where have you been but according to the original ICC plan Pakistan was suppose to tour India in Feb-Mar but that got changed since India did not tour Pakistan last time as scheduled so PCB made it clear that India will have to tour first so we can make up for the lost revenue.

[Asif_k]

^ LM - has the PCB told this to ICC ?? Have the ICC and BCCI agreed upon this, Ramiz Raja's babbling in front of Television doesn't mean anything unless he tells this to ICC ?? I dont think he has done so, not yet atleast, because ICC web site still says that Pakistan is supposed to tour India.

As for the JUNG being trash - go and search KK and see how many times some of our paki brothers have called JUNG a 'tabloid'. I said I dont believe the so called 'SOURCES' it's very easy to play the 'sources' game. Rather than quoting the 'SOURCES' Jung should quote the Indian Player(s) who said that.

If rediff plays the 'sources' game, I wont believe it either.