LAHORE: At long last, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Shaharyar Khan announced on Tuesday that the Board would no more make request to India for bilateral series, saying the PCB would now only ask the BCCI to give its clear-cut response on the Indo-Pak series.

Shaharyar since taking over the PCB as chairman around a year ago has issued dozens of statements asking the BCCI to resume bilateral series by playing a scheduled series with Pakistan in the UAE in December this year.

But all his campaign to convince India for the bilateral series is yet to bear any fruits as the BCCI citing their government’s stance against the resumption of the bilateral series with Pakistan has not reciprocated the PCB initiative.

However, the PCB chairman while talking to media here on Tuesday said that now the Board would only ask the BCCI whether they want to play the series in the UAE or not.

Once, having received the final reply from the Indian board, the PCB would consider its option as to what kind of step it could take in this regard, maintained Shaharyar.

Former PCB chairman Najam Sethi who now works as chairman of the PCB executive committee and the BCCI had reached an understanding to play six bilateral series during eight years through signing of various MoUs.

Younis Khan faces disciplinary action

Sethi had also termed those MoUs as the biggest achievement in return for which he accepted the ‘big three’ formula under which India Australia and England emerged as top cricketing nations to rule the world of cricket with major share of the ICC’s income being bound to be going to their kitty.

Having signed the MoUs, Sethi had also issued a good number of press statements terming the deal a big success for the PCB despite the fact he could not satisfy the media at the time regarding what kind of guarantees he had got from India which would have made it binding on the BCCI to honour the MoUs.

On the other hand, the Board chairman said he would go to India to condole the sad demise of BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya who died on Sunday.

Dalmiya had been a good friend of the PCB in the past and Shaharyar was, in fact, hopeful that he would again play a key role in resumption of the bilateral series.

To a question about experienced middle-order batsman Younis Khan’s absence from the logo-unveiling ceremony of the PSL held here Sunday night, Shaharyar said the veteran batsman was invited to the ceremony.

He said that though he had not talked to Younis directly over the issue of invitation, he had been receiving news from different people that Younis had put conditions for his participation in the ceremony.

Answering yet another question about not inviting former captain Imran Khan to PSL’s logo-unveiling ceremony, the chairman said that the former fast bowling icon was invited in the ceremony, adding that the Board had also invited Imran during the home series against Zimbabwe wherein, the chairman said, he had showed up.

Surprisingly, Sethi in his tweet on Monday said that Imran was not invited to the ceremony because he had now become a politician.

AFP adds: Veteran Pakistan batsman Younis Khan is facing disciplinary action for lashing out when it became clear he was to be dropped for next month’s one-day series in Zimbabwe.

The 37-year-old hit out at selectors a day before the squad was announced last week – without his name included.

“If I am not selected, the one-day team will not be able to stand up,” Younis said in a television interview.

The PCB chairman said the batsman, who has averaged a dismal 18.32 in 29 one-day matches in the last three years, was clearly frustrated.

“I respect him a lot and we will sit with him and discuss it with him but we will consider taking action,” he commented.

“There are two actions, extreme or moderate, but we have to find a position in between. Something should be done,” added the chairman.

It is the third series in a row for which the selectors have overlooked Younis, who scored just 43 runs in three World Cup matches in Australia and New Zealand earlier this year.

But he has been in fine Test form, rolling back the years to hit a sublime 171 not out as Pakistan chased an improbable 377 to beat Sri Lanka in Pallekele in July.

He was further piqued over an event to launch the logo for the new Twenty Pakistan Super League. “I was not invited and that made it easy for me to decide whether to play the PSL or not,” he retorted on Saturday night.

But the PCB chairman said all players including Younis were invited. “If we had not invited Younis and other greats I would have been apologising,” said Shaharyar. “Younis saying he was not invited is factually not correct.”

Published in Dawn, September 23rd , 2015

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