The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) spokesperson on Saturday said he “categorically” rejects the claim that the PCB had approached the International Council of Cricket after it decided not to play India in the T20 World Cup.
PCB spokesperson Amir Mir named Indian sports journalist Vikrant Gupta and said, “I categorically reject Indian sports journalist Vikrant Gupta’s claim that PCB has approached the ICC.”
In a strong statement, the spokesperson said: “As usual, sections of the Indian media are busy spreading fiction. A little patience and time will clearly reveal who actually knocked and who didn’t.”
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This came after reports surfaced on February 15 that the International Cricket Council was in talks with the Pakistan Cricket Board to resolve the boycott of the T20 World Cup match against India.
Each clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan is one of the most lucrative in cricket, worth millions of dollars in broadcast, sponsorship and advertising revenue. But the match was thrown into doubt after the Pakistani government ordered the team not to play the match in Colombo.
The 20-team tournament was overshadowed by a bitter political situation after Bangladesh, who refused to play in India on security grounds, was replaced by Scotland.
In protest, Pakistan refused to meet co-hosts India in their Group A match.
Pakistan, who defeated the Netherlands in the tournament opener on Saturday, will lose two points if they forfeit the match and also take a significant hit to its net run-rate.
Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav said this week that his team would travel to Colombo for the match.
Pakistan and India have not played bilateral cricket for over a decade and only meet in global or regional tournaments.
