ISLAMABAD – A big setback for Pakistani cricket players and the fans acrossthe country.
No Pakistan player will be part of the Asia XI, according to the Board ofControl for Cricket in India (BCCI), which is set to take on the World XIin two Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) hosted by Bangladesh to celebratethe birth centenary of their founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The matches, which will be played in Bangladesh, have been given theofficial status by the International Cricket Council (ICC). However,according to the IANS, BCCI Joint Secretary Jayesh George has clarifiedthat no Pakistan player would be invited to take part in the Asia XI squad.
“What we are aware of is that there will be no Pakistan players in the AsiaXI. That is what the message is, so, there is no question of both countriescoming together or picking one over the other.
Sourav Ganguly will decide the five players who will be a part of the AsiaXI,” George said.
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The war of words had intensified between the PCB and BCCI over the past fewdays, after both boards exchanged stern statements over their country’ssecurity concerns.
Earlier, BCCI’s vice-president Mahim Verma had criticised the PakistanCricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ehsan Mani after the latter termed India a fargreater security risk as compared to their neighbours.
