BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur has said that BCCI does not have an alternative venue prepared for the much awaited India-Pakistan match as he remains hopeful that the Himachal Pradesh government will give the go ahead for the World Twenty20 match between India and Pakistan in Dharamsala.
Thakur is confident that the March 19 match will take place as scheduled despite the Himachal government stating that it does not want to host the game.
“The meeting (with HP Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh) was held in a very positive atmosphere. We discussed each and everything. The state government will also try and speak to those who have raised concerns. I am very hopeful of a positive outcome,” Thakur said on Thursday.
He added that as far as the BCCI is concerned there is no change in the venue. “The state government have to announce that the match is on. From the BCCI’s side, the match is on,” said Thakur at an event when PepsiCo entered into a four-year partnership with the apex cricket body as an associate sponsor for all its international matches at home. “There is no Plan-B as of now. It is anyway not easy to make changes at the last moment,” he added.
Himachal CM Virbhadra Singh had earlier expressed inability to provide security for the marquee clash in the wake of objections raised by the Kangra-based families of martyrs and ex-servicemen, who consider hosting Pakistan as an “insult” to the soldiers who lost their lives in Pathankot airbase terror attack in January.
However, the BJP MP had assured that security won’t be an issue. “We also discussed that if there is a shortage of security or police force in HP, we can also speak to central government. But, he has assured there are enough policemen in state to provide security,” he added.
Thakur also said that the situation which loomed around the bilateral series between India and Pakistan was completely different to the March 19 clash. “Bilateral series is a different ball game. But this is a world event — it is a very prestigious tournament. India has the honour to host the World Cup on it’s own. We are not hosting it with Sri lanka, Bangladesh or Pakistan. India is the sole host and onus is on us to make it a successful event,” he said.
Pak threatens to pull out
lahore: The Pakistan Cricket Board on Thursday threatened to pull out of the forthcoming World Twenty20 if they are not guaranteed foolproof security and a “public statement” about its participation in the mega-event by the Indian government, according to a PTI report.
Even as uncertainty refused to die down over the fate of the high-profile match, with Himachal Pradesh’s ex-servicemen league protesting against hosting the game, PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan called for India to publicly acknowledge Pakistan’s participation in WT20.
“We have told the ICC that there is only one step that the Indian government needs to take and that is to issue a public statement that they are ready to welcome Pakistan and ensure full security for our team, which hasn’t come as yet,” Shaharyar said. “We have already been given permission (to travel) and we want to come, but we need reassurance and they should give a statement that will create a sense of security among us. I spoke to the BCCI and they are giving us a private assurance, claiming that it’s all about internal politics, nothing else, and that Pakistan should come.”
“But a public statement is important and it should come, as there are threats and we can see them. We have written to the ICC that they should come forward and we’ve asked the Indian government to assure us and give a statement. If they won’t give the statement, then I see it’s very difficult to go to India. There is no deadline in making the decision but we will have to monitor till the end and can even pull out at the eleventh hour.”