KARACHI: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Najam Sethi said Wednesday that International Cricket Council (ICC) held back its 2019-2023 Future Tours Programme (FTP) until a decision is taken on the pending India-Pakistan bilateral series case filed by the PCB in the dispute resolution committee.
“The entire FTP has been put on hold due to this case. It is significant to recall that we signed the FTP subject to the outcome of the dispute,” Sethi told media, recalling that the PCB had signed a MoU with Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2014 for six bilateral series during the cycle of 2015-2023.
The PCB chief said the case proceedings have started and the dispute resolution committee has asked for witnesses from both the sides who were involved in signing the 2014 MoU.
ICC will first decide whether India is legally responsible for not honouring the MoU and then decide to what extent India is liable, he informed.
In December 2017, the PCB had stated it would not sign the revised structure of cricket competitions unless there was a valid agreement from India in the bilateral cricket series with Pakistan.
“FTP should be adjusted to reflect the decision of ICC dispute resolution panel,” PCB said in a statement.
The new FTP issued late last year had more Test matches allocated to Bangladesh (35), Sri Lanka (29) and West Indies (29) than to Pakistan (28). The proposal mentioned no series between Pakistan and India despite the 2014 MoU.
Meanwhile, the PCB head told that there will be a change in the schedule for home series against West Indies team in Lahore. The three-match T20I series will now be played on April 1, 2 and 4 instead of March 29, 30 and April 1.