Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Shaharyar Khan on Thursday said that PCB will pursue legal action against the Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) for repeatedly refusing to play a bilateral series between the two countries.
While addressing a press conference in Lahore, Khan recalled that the PCB and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2014, under which the two countries were supposed to play six series in eight years.
"Two of those six [series] have already fallen through; it does not look like the third one will happen either," he said.
"Therefore, we are left with no option but to pursue legal action against India," the PCB chairman added.
Khan recalled that India's refusal to play the series in Pakistan in 2014 had cost the PCB around a million dollars.
"We'll tell them that they (India) forced us into taking this step. We want them to compensate us for all our losses," the PCB chairman added.
Explaining the process, Khan said PCB will first send a legal notice to the Indian cricket board and then raise a dispute in the International Cricket Council.
If the issue is not resolved at ICC, Khan said PCB will pursue the case in court.
"Our case is solid," the cricket board chairman said, adding he has reason to believe India does not want to play with Pakistan anytime soon.
Khan said that citing the political rift between the two neighbouring countries is not reason enough for refusing to play, adding that Pakistan and India have played cricket despite tensions between the two.
"It isn't necessary to [cancel] cricket because of a prevailing political situation. However, looking at the attitude of [Indian Prime Minister] Modi, it seems unlikely that India wants to play [with Pakistan]," he said.
Cricketing ties between India and Pakistan are currently stalled, given the political tensions between the two countries.
The men's teams have not played a bilateral series against each other since December-January 2012-13, when Pakistan visited India, but have met in various multi-team tournaments since then, including the World Cup, World T20, Champions Trophy and Asia Cup.
Meanwhile, while discussing the matter of next year's Pakistan Super League Khan hoped that the PCB will be able to organise some of the matches in Pakistan and said that the groundwork for that has already begun.
