BCCI writes to PCB, regrets cancellation of talks

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has written to its Pakistani counterpart, expressing regret over the cancellation of the talks between its president Shashank Manohar and PCB chief Shahryar Khan in Mumbai earlier this month.

Manohar and Shahryar were scheduled to meet at the BCCI's headquarters in Mumbai to discuss the bilateral series which was scheduled to be held in December. The series, scheduled to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), was part of an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the BCCI.

According to the MoU, the two nations are to play six bilateral series between 2015 and 2023. Four of these series will be hosted by Pakistan and the six tours -- pending a legal agreement -- will include up to 14 Tests, 30 ODIs and 12 T20s.

But the talks were cancelled when activists belonging to the Shiv Sena -- who have consistently opposed the resumption of cricketing ties with Pakistan -- stormed into the BCCI headquarters and threatened Manohar. Following the cancellation of the meeting, the PCB had threatened to withdraw from the World Twenty20 championship to be held in India early next year.

Condemning the Shiv Sena's protest, the BCCI wrote in the letter that they are extremely sorry for the incident in Mumbai.

"We have received a letter from the BCCI expressing regret over what happened in Mumbai on October 19," the PCB's director of media operations Amjad Hussain was quoted as saying by the Dawn on Thursday.

The BCCI also said that they have approached the Indian government for approval of the bilateral series.