Afghanistan cricket chief apologised to PCB ‘privately’: Shaharyar

KARACHI: Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Shaharyar Khan on Friday claimed his Afghan counterpart Shukrullah Atif Mashal ‘apologised’ to him privately after their board pulled out after an agreement to play bilateral series following the May 31 Kabul attack.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (AFC) signed an MoU with the PCB on May 27 where both the nations agreed to play bilateral matches at all age group levels including at the national level.

However, after just three days, AFC took a hard stance against Pakistan and cancelled the agreement after the blast which killed more than 90 people in the Afghan capital.

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“He (Mashal) apologised to us privately, saying his stance was due to the tense environment and that Afghanistan would like to resume cricketing ties with Pakistan,” said Shaharyar during a press conference after the PCB governing board meeting.

“We told him we are not going to proceed until AFC submits an official apology,” added the former diplomat.

PCB to take on India on legal battlegrounds

The PCB chief also revealed the board will take on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in a legal battle for not living up their commitment to playing a bilateral series.

Both boards signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the time of the big three’s formation, where the two arch-rivals were supposed to play six bilateral series between 2015-2023 — four of which were supposed to be hosted by Pakistan.

However, due to political tensions between the neighbours, the Indian government has refused to give clearance to the BCCI for the series, which poses a financial threat for PCB.