Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shaharyar Khan admitted on Saturday that the proposed series with India was meant to be a 'reward' for Pakistan's approval of the 'Big Three' and called upon his counterpart in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to honour its commitment.

A two Tests, five one-day and one Twenty20 match series in United Arab Emirates is clouded in uncertainty with relations between Pakistan and India under strain.

“Yes, it’s true that we signed the ‘Big Three’ agreement after the BCCI promised it would renew cricketing ties with Pakistan and the two boards signed MoUs (Memorandum of Understanding) in this regard,” Khan told reporters.

“But I will not say I feel betrayed by India because the series is still not lost. I would call upon the BCCI to honour its commitment.”

Khan, wrote a letter to the BCCI secretary on Wednesday, pressing him for an update on a proposed series but the fate of the matches remains uncertain.

Last year, under Najam Sethi, the PCB and BCCI had signed a MoU under which they were scheduled to play six series in the 2015-2023 Future Tours Programme, but all were subject to clearance from New Delhi.

The deal was part of an agreement which effectively gave control of international cricket affairs to India, Australia and England, dubbed the 'Big Three'.

The two countries have not played a full series against each other since 2007, though Pakistan toured India for a short series in December 2012.

Opinion

A long week

A long week

There’s some wariness about the excitement surrounding this moment of international glory.

Editorial

Unlearnt lessons
Updated 28 Apr, 2026

Unlearnt lessons

THE US is undoubtedly the world’s top military and economic power at this time. Yet as the Iran quagmire has ...
Solar vision?
28 Apr, 2026

Solar vision?

THE recent imposition of certain regulatory requirements for small-scale solar systems, followed by the reversal of...
Breaking malaria’s grip
28 Apr, 2026

Breaking malaria’s grip

FOR the first time in decades, defeating malaria in our lifetime is possible, according to WHO. Yet in Pakistan,...
Pathways to peace
Updated 27 Apr, 2026

Pathways to peace

NEGOTIATIONS to hammer out the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement took nearly two years before a breakthrough was achieved....
Food-insecure nation
27 Apr, 2026

Food-insecure nation

A NEW UN-backed report has listed Pakistan among 10 countries where acute food insecurity is most concentrated. This...
Migration toll
27 Apr, 2026

Migration toll

THE world should not be deceived by a global migration count lower than the highest annual statistics on record —...