da luck： The Pakistan Cricket Board on Wednesday said it would officially reactto India’s decision to pull out of the Asian Test Championship afterformally hearing from the Board of Control for Cricket in India
22-Aug-2001The Pakistan Cricket Board on Wednesday said it would officially reactto India’s decision to pull out of the Asian Test Championship afterformally hearing from the Board of Control for Cricket in India.PCB’s media in-charge Khalid Bhutt told PTI over phone from Lahorethat PCB President and ACC Chairman Lt Gen Tauquir Zia has asked himto convey to the media that PCB would not react until it officiallyreceived a communication from BCCI.”We deal with BCCI and not with the Indian Government. The whole ACCTest Championship programme is fixed with the consent of the BCCI. Letthem inform us,” Bhutt said.”The news was surprising as India has been playing against Pakistan involleyball, bridge and other tournaments. Also, India has agreed totake part in the South Asian Federation (SAF) Games to be held inIslamabad in October. When that is the case, why this discriminationagainst cricket?” he asked.ACC secretary Zakir Sayed said on Tuesday night that the tournamentwould go ahead without India.Expressing surprise at the Indian decision, he said the entireschedule was fixed after BCCI chief AC Muthiah confirmed the Indianparticipation. The BCCI officials also submitted a letter from theIndian Government at the Lahore meeting in May agreeing to the Indianteam’s participation.Stating that India’s withdrawal from the tournament was a majorsetback, he said it would create financial loss to both PCB as well asACC as they stand to lose both gate money as well as the televisionrights.”The championship will go on, there is no doubt about that. But thedecision will result in financial loss to the event managers,” Sayedsaid and added the PCB suffered $15 million loss when the Indian teampulled of the scheduled tour early this year.India’s decision would also hit ICC’s ten-year plan for a six, he saidadding it was up to ICC to decide how to deal with a such a situation.The ACC Test Championship schedule was finalised at the ACC meeting inLahore in May this year which was attended by BCCI President Muthiahand secretary Jaywant Lele. The India-Pakistan Test match wasscheduled to be held in Karachi from September 13 to 17.The news of the Indian Government’s decision was published prominentlyin the Pakistan media on the front pages.Pakistan has already selected 27 probables to play in the ACC TestChampionship beginning from August 29 with Pakistan playing Bangladeshat the newly built stadium in Multan. The Bangladesh team arrived inKarachi on Tuesday.