BCCI-PCB Discussion on Sidelines of ACC Executive Board Meeting: 10 Talking Points

Here we look at the 10 talking points to have come out from the PCB-BCCI discussion on the sidelines of the ACC Executive Board Meeting. PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja met BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and Secretary Jay Shah on Friday in Dubai.

Lahore: The newly elected Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman (PCB) Ramiz Raja met Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly and Secretary Jay Shah on the sidelines of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Executive Board Meeting on Friday in Dubai and concluded that it was a good discussion between both the boards, adding that there has to be a cricketing bond between the two nations going forward.

Here we look at the 10 talking points to have come out from the meeting:

1. PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja met with BCCI President Sourav Ganguly and Secretary Jay Shah on the sidelines of the ACC Executive Board Meeting on Friday in Dubai.
2. Raja reckoned both the boards need to create a cricketing bond, while he always believed that politics should stay away from the sport as much as possible and this has always been their stance, according to a statement issued by PCB on Monday.
3. Raja added, “A lot of work needs to be done to revitalise Pakistan-India cricket but there needs to be some comfort level between the two boards and then we can see how far we can go. So overall, we had a good discussion.”
4. ACC has confirmed that next year’s tournament (Asia Cup) in Sri Lanka will be played on a 20-over format.
5. Asia Cup in Sri Lanka will be a prelude to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 to be held in Australia from 16 October to 13 November.
6. Raja asserted, “The ACC was set up to create a unified approach and collective stance so that we had one voice and if there was a situation, all stood together.”
7. Raja informed, “The ACC has agreed and approved that the 2023 event in Pakistan will be a 50-over competition and will be held in September. This aligns very nicely with the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023, which will be held in October and November.
8. Raja announced, “We are looking forward to hosting this tournament in Pakistan and I am confident it will be a well-organised event because this is what the fans want.”
9. Raja further added, “I would like to see our relationship with other boards and the ACC be strong so that if there is an issue like we had with the withdrawal of a couple of sides, a strong and joint statement could come out from the ACC platform.”
10. Raja concluded by saying, “My message at the ACC was that we should not forget this philosophy and I am optimistic there will be better outcomes in future.”

(With Agency Inputs)