Giles Clarke told by BCCI that it’s waiting govt approval

Giles Clarke, who has been playing the role of a facilitator for the resumption of Indo-Pak cricketing ties, has been told by the BCCI that it’s still waiting for government approval for the proposed series against Pakistan in Sri Lanka, a media report said.

The report in the ‘Dawn’ quoted an unnamed Pakistan Cricket Board official as saying that Clarke, a former England and Wales Cricket Board chief, has received from the BCCI a similar reply to the one that was given to the PCB.

It said that Clarke “had spoken to BCCI president Shashank Manohar who had told him that the Indian government had not yet given the NOC for the series”.

According to the report, the PCB had put forward two tentative dates for the series (proposed to comprise three ODIs and two T20 matches): December 15-January 4 and December 19-January 4.

The report also said that the Board will wait for a few days for a final decision on the series after PCB chief Shaharyar Khan received a call from Clarke in which he reassured that he will speak to the BCCI.

The two boards signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) last year in which they agreed Pakistan will host India four times while India will host their arch-rivals twice in the next eight years.