The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said Tuesday it has asked the sport’s governing body to explain India’s refusal to send a team to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy next year.
The International Cricket Council informed the PCB last week that India would not tour Pakistan for the eight-team tournament, leaving the fate of the event hanging in the balance.
Pakistan had previously rejected the option of a hybrid arrangement that would allow India to play their matches at neutral venues, for example in the United Arab Emirates.
“The PCB has responded to last week’s ICC letter seeking clarifications for the Indian Board’s decision not to travel to Pakistan for next year’s Champions Trophy,” Sami-Ul-Hasan told AFP.
Deteriorating political ties have meant the bitter rivals have not played a bilateral cricket series for over a decade – squaring off only in ICC multi-nation events.
The nuclear-armed neighbours have fought three wars since being carved out of the subcontinent’s partition in 1947 and that rivalry is often reflected on the cricket field.
Any cricket match between the two is among the most watched events on the global sporting calendar.
Pakistani media reported on Tuesday that the PCB would be unwilling to accept security reasons for India’s refusal to visit.
New Zealand have toured Pakistan three times in the past two years, with England visiting twice and Australia once in the same period.
