PCB files dispute notice against BCCI

The PCB has sent a notice of dispute to the BCCI for not fulfilling the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) the boards had signed in 2014 for fixtures between Pakistan and India during the period 2015 to 2023.

The Pakistan board claimed it incurred losses because the BCCI did not agree to a tour in December 2015, and though it did not disclose amounts, two series against India were worth $80 million in the board's previous TV deal.

The PCB wanted to take a legal route but according to the ICC Dispute Resolution Committee's terms of reference an ICC member should exercise Clause 5, which covers good-faith negotiations, and make three attempts to resolve the dispute.

According to the terms of reference, the BCCI has seven days to respond to the PCB. A positive response will lead to a meeting between officials from both boards to try and settle the issue. A failure to find a solution would then result in the matter being referred to the ICC dispute resolution committee, which will form a panel to hear the case.

The PCB also confirmed Pakistan would not tour India in 2018 as scheduled in the FTP because the cycle of bilateral fixtures had to start with Pakistan as hosts.

The notice of dispute was sent to the BCCI after the PCB was encouraged by the ICC awarding six points to the Pakistan Women's team because the BCCI had failed to establish "acceptable reasons" for not participating in a bilateral series, which was part of the ICC Women's Championship.

The PCB and BCCI had signed an MoU in 2014 to play six bilateral series between 2015 and 2023. Four of those series were to be hosted by Pakistan and the six series included up to 14 Tests, 30 ODIs and 12 T20Is. The cycle was scheduled to start with Pakistan hosting two Tests and five ODIs at a mutually acceptable venue, but the BCCI did not agree to the series.

India and Pakistan have not played a full series since the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, which the Indian government blamed on militants based in Pakistan. The teams last played a full series in 2007, in India. Pakistan, however, visited India for a limited-over series in December 2012, which was seen as a stepping stone to reviving cricketing ties between the countries.

The PCB and BCCI made an attempt to play in December 2015, with Sri Lanka as a possible venue for the series. Leadership from both boards met in Dubai with ECB president Giles Clarke as mediator, but as the date approached the BCCI remained unresponsive towards PCB and the series was scrapped without official confirmation from India.