India-Pakistan cricket series: PCB not to extend Monday deadline as BCCI is yet to confirm participation

BCCI official and Rajya Sabha MP Rajeev Shukla questioned the Central Government’s reluctance to give the final nod to the proposed bilateral series between India and Pakistan with Sri Lanka as the neutral venue, even as reports indicated PCB will not extend the Monday deadline for confirming the series. Earlier reports indicated that the Pakistan cricket authorities have kept Monday as the final deadline for getting confirmation from the BCCI on the bilateral series planned in Sri Lanka later this month. A well-placed source said that the PCB was clear that if the BCCI didn’t get back with a clearance for the series from their government by Monday, it was all over. “There is little time left to organise the series and if India does not respond by Monday this series is over,” the source told PTI. [caption id=“attachment_2520770” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image from India Pakistan match. Getty[/caption] He said the PCB was also not very optimistic about the Indian government giving clearance for the series. “They just feel that time has now almost run out for having the series in Sri Lanka even from around mid December,” he said. “There is lot of logistics involved in hosting the series in a third country which also has lot of tourism especially December being a Christmas and New year holiday season month,” he noted. Another problem that is causing concerns to the PCB is that due to shortage of time they will have to work round the clock to confirm title and other sponsors for the series. The source said the board had however dropped any plans to host a pentangular T20 event in December to fill in the gap if the India series didn’t take place. “It has now been decided that the series against India doesn’t take place than the selectors and team management will organise a national training camp over two to three weeks and carry out complete fitness tests of all players before the tour to New Zealand in late January,” he said. The source further confirmed that if India didn’t play this time the PCB in consultation with the England and Wales cricket board will try to organise some Indo-Pak matches in England next summer before the Pakistan and England series. PTI