Pakistan Cricket Board sends legal notice to BCCI

The PCB claims that it has lost between US$ 200 and 300 million due to India's refusal to play the series that Pakistan was supposed to host.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday sent a legal notice to the Board of Control for Cricket in India, initiating proceedings to seek compensation from the Indian Cricket Board for not honouring the memorandum of understanding (MoU) to play six bilateral series between 2015 and 2023.

An official source in the PCB confirmed to PTI that the notice was dispatched on Wednesday.

"The legal notice has been sent after our legal advisors consulted a reputable law firm in London and have prepared a strong legal case to get compensation from the Indians," he said.

The MoU, signed in 2014, was part of a deal between the two boards under which Pakistan supported the 'Big Three' governance and financial model including India, Australia and England in the International Cricket Council.

The source said that in the legal notice Pakistan had pointed out that the BCCI didn’t honour the MoU despite it being signed in the presence of the ICC officials.

"The notice also says that due to India's repeated refusal to commit itself to the MoU, three series have not been played since 2015 two of them which Pakistan was supposed to host," he said.

The PCB claims that it has lost between US$ 200 and 300 million due to India's refusal to play the series that Pakistan was supposed to host.

"We were even willing to host our series at neutral venues as part of the deal but even then the BCCI kept on stalling us and then eventually refused," the source said.

The PCB will decide its next course of action after receiving an official response from the BCCI.

"We are prepared to go the courts or the ICC disputes resolution committee to get the compensation," he said further.

The BCCI has repeatedly turned down offers from the PCB for bilateral matches on the grounds that it is not being given clearance by its government due to tense relations between the two countries.

The PCB informally told the BCCI representatives at the recent ICC meeting in Dubai of its decision to start legal proceedings against them to claim compensation for the MoU not being honoured.