PCB needs to stop acting like an agent for an individual in ICC: BCCI official

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has approached the International Cricket Council (ICC) inorder to obtain written visa assurances from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for its teams so that the Men in Green would not face problems during the 2021 Twenty20 (T20) World Cup and the 2023 World Cup which are scheduled to be held in India.

The Chief Executive Officer of the PCB Wasim Khan confirmed that the board had approached the ICC regarding the matter.

“We are also looking at the fact that the ICC World Cups are to be hosted in India in 2021 and 2023 and we have already asked the ICC to give us written assurances from BCCI that we will not face any problems getting visas and clearance to play in India,” PCB CEO Wasim Khan said in an interview on a YouTube channel.

Responding on the matter, a BCCI official has said that PCB should ensure that there is no government interference in the running of the game before asking for such assurances.   

"The ICC mandates that there should be no interference of governments in the administration of the game and the corollary would be that a sports board doesn't attempt to interfere with how a government functions. It's time the PCB realises that and stops acting like an agent for an individual in the ICC who is known to work against the interest of India. All I would say is that India is a wonderful country and acts in the most balanced way," the official said.

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A senior official, as reported by Hindustan Times, had, earlier, claimed that the PCB has forwarded their concerns to the ICC and has requested that assurances should be obtained from the government of India by the BCCI in this regard.

Meanwhile, Wasim Khan had also highlighted the fact that various sports teams from Pakistan were not given permission to play in India during recent times.

“That is why we have asked for the advance assurances. But eventually, it is an ICC event and it is their responsibility to ensure we as a full member and signatory of the participants' agreement go and play in these ICC events. We have a good relationship with the BCCI but we know realistically a bilateral series is not possible in the foreseeable future,” he said.