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Pakistan wants India play bilateral cricket series

Published

8 years ago

April 30, 2018

Pakistan wants India play bilateral cricket series

Pakistan Cricket Board is ready to accept any ruling of the International Cricket Council (ICC) disputes resolution committee but wants Indo-Pak bilateral series is added to the Future Tours Programme (FTP) for 2019-2023 if it wins the case.

According to Dawn, Najam Sethi, the chairman of the PCB, who returned after attending several meetings of the ICC Executive Board and other committees in Kolkata, told the media on Sunday in Karachi that that Pakistan had signed the FTP documents conditionally.

Sethi, a career journalist, stressed “We have made it clear that if the ICC’s disputes resolution committee rules in our favour in October, then India must play against us in the new FTP programme.”

He said that he had signed the documents on the condition that if the ICC committee ruled in PCB’s favour, matches against India would be added to the FTP.

“Even if the result is otherwise we still have got confirmed around 123 matches in the new FTP so we have done well,” he added.

The ICC gave final shape to the FTP at the meeting in Kolkata but the current schedule does not include any Pakistan-India bilateral matches.

PCB has also filed a compensation case with the ICC, saying that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not honoured an MoU signed in 2014.

According to Dawn, the ICC has said its disputes resolution committee will arrive at a verdict on the compensation claim of around $70 million by Pakistan after a four-day meet in Dubai in October.

The Pakistani official Sethi has expressed confidence that Pakistan can win the compensation case as its legal team has prepared a strong case against India’s BCCI.

“Our stance remains that the MoU signed between the two Boards in 2014 during the ICC meetings confirmed that both boards would play six bilateral series between 2015 and 2023,” the PCB chairman said.

The BCCI has said the MoU is not a legally binding document and was conditional to Pakistan supporting the ‘big three’ governance system which has been dissolved now and that they had said they needed government clearance to play against Pakistan.

Sethi clarified that Pakistan had no objections for playing against India but first the ICC will have to decide the case.

In June 2014, the PCB stated that an agreement to play six bilateral series has been signed with the BCCI during the ICC annual conference in Melbourne. After lengthy negotiations, involving offers and counter-offers on the venues and scheduling of the first of these series in December 2015, the boards were unable to reach an agreement, and the BCCI did not tour for a full series against Pakistan in the UAE.

In May 2017, BCCI secretary Amitabh Choudhary said that the BCCI would need approval from his government before a bilateral series can go ahead. The 1999 Kargil war and the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks have also interrupted cricketing ties between the two countries.

India-Pakistan cricket matches are some of the most watched television broadcasts in both the countries. The 2011 Cricket World Cup semi-final attracted average audience of nearly 135 million in India alone. The 2015 World Cup opening match between the two arch-rivals had a 14.8% TV rating. The approximate amount of viewers for the India vs Pakistan match at the World T20 in 2016 was more than 83 million.

Najam Sethi is a prominent journalist, who, along with chairing PCB, serves as the editor-in-chief of the Friday Times and chairman of Pakistan Super League. He has served as the caretaker chief minister of Punjab during 2013 elections.

Cricket news

India beat Pakistan by 19 runs to win Asian Games cricket gold

India beat Pakistan by 19 runs in the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket final to retain the gold medal in the competition.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 3, 2026

APNLive Desk

India defeated Pakistan by 19 runs in the men’s cricket final at the Asian Games 2026 on Saturday to retain the gold medal.

India posted 211 for six after being sent in to bat, before restricting Pakistan to 192 for six in their 20 overs. The victory gave India their second successive Asian Games gold medal in men’s cricket.

India post 211 in final

India’s batting was led by Abhishek Sharma, who scored 61 off 28 balls, while Tilak Varma contributed 51 off 22 balls.

The two batters provided the momentum as India reached 211 for six from their 20 overs.

India captain Shreyas Iyer had won the toss and elected to bat first in the final.

Pakistan fall 19 runs short

Pakistan’s chase was anchored by Hasan Nawaz, who made 96 from 51 balls. Saim Ayub added 29 from 22 balls, but Pakistan finished on 192 for six after 20 overs.

India’s Axar Patel and Washington Sundar each took two wickets as Pakistan fell short of the target.

The result secured the gold medal for India, while Pakistan finished with silver. Sri Lanka won the bronze medal after defeating Bangladesh in the bronze-medal match.

India retain Asian Games cricket title

The victory marked India’s second consecutive men’s cricket gold medal at the Asian Games. India had also won the men’s cricket gold at the Hangzhou edition.

India’s victory over Pakistan also completed a gold-medal double for the country in cricket at the 2026 Asian Games, after the women’s team won the women’s cricket final earlier in the competition.

India News

MK Stalin attacks Vijay government over hindi signboard in Tamil Nadu

MK Stalin criticised the Tamil Nadu government over Hindi lettering on a State Highway signboard and warned the Vijay-led administration against interfering with the state’s two-language policy.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 2, 2026

APNLive Desk

The use of Hindi on a highway signboard in Tamil Nadu has triggered a political row, with DMK chief MK Stalin criticising the Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government over the issue.

The controversy centres on a State Highway signboard that displayed place names in Tamil, English and Hindi. The board was installed on the Alwarthirunagari-Valliyoor State Highway 93 route through Sathankulam in Thoothukudi district.

Stalin objected to the inclusion of Hindi, saying Tamil Nadu has long opposed what he described as attempts to impose Hindi and warning the state government against altering its established two-language policy.

He questioned whether the use of Hindi on the signboard represented the kind of change promised by the TVK government. Stalin also urged the administration not to interfere with Tamil Nadu’s language policy.

Hindi removed from signboard

Following the controversy, the Hindi lettering was removed from the signboard. The state government also suspended two officials from the Highways Department over the matter and initiated departmental action against them.

According to officials, the Assistant Divisional Engineer and Assistant Engineer associated with the project had failed to inform higher authorities about the inclusion of Hindi on the board.

The Tamil Nadu government has said that the use of Hindi on the State Highways Department signboard was against the state’s two-language policy and warned that strict action would be taken against officials violating the policy.

Stalin targets Vijay government

Stalin also stepped up his criticism of the TVK administration, describing it as a “Reels government” and alleging that it was responding to social media trends involving influencers from northern states.

His comments came amid a wider political debate in Tamil Nadu over the state’s established Tamil-English two-language policy and the use of Hindi in government-related signage.

The latest controversy has therefore brought the language policy issue back into focus, with the DMK questioning the TVK government’s handling of the Hindi signboard and the state administration taking action against the officials concerned.

MK Stalin has criticised the Vijay-led Tamil Nadu government over Hindi appearing on a State Highway signboard. The Hindi lettering was later removed, while two Highways Department officials were suspended and departmental action was initiated.

Cricket news

Jasprit Bumrah becomes first Indian to play T20Is in 13 countries

Jasprit Bumrah became the first Indian to play T20I cricket in 13 different countries after featuring against Sri Lanka in Japan.

Published

2 weeks ago

October 1, 2026

APNLive Desk

Jasprit Bumrah added another milestone to his international career on Thursday after taking the field for India against Sri Lanka in the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket semifinal in Japan.

Bumrah’s appearance at Nishin made him the first Indian to play T20I cricket in 13 different countries, according to the report. He moved ahead of former India captains Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who have each played T20Is in 12 countries.

Bumrah’s 13-country T20I record

Before playing in Japan, Bumrah had represented India in T20Is in 12 other countries — India, Australia, Bangladesh, England, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the UAE, the United States, West Indies and Zimbabwe.

His appearance in Japan took the tally to 13. Kohli, Rohit and Bhuvneshwar had played in all of those countries except Japan, leaving Bumrah alone at the top of the list.

Kohli and Rohit cannot add to their totals as both have retired from T20I cricket, according to the source.

Bumrah shines against Sri Lanka

Bumrah also made an immediate impact in his first T20I appearance in Japan. He claimed two wickets in his opening over against Sri Lanka and finished with figures of 2/7 in two overs.

India went on to dismiss Sri Lanka for 45 in 9.5 overs and won the semifinal by 124 runs to book a place in the Asian Games 2026 men’s cricket final.

The result set up an India-Pakistan gold-medal clash, scheduled for October 3.

Jasprit Bumrah has become the first Indian to play T20I cricket in 13 different countries. His appearance against Sri Lanka in Japan took him past Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who have played T20Is in 12 countries each.