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India vs Pakistan bilateral series will happen: BCCI president Roger Binny ‘hopeful’ of new beginning
The BCCI president and vice-president returned to India via the Attari-Wagah border on Wednesday after watching Asia Cup matches on PCB's invitation
BCCI president Roger Binny is "hopeful" of an India vs Pakistan bilateral sooner rather than later. The 1983 World Cup-winning all-cricketer the BCCI can't take that call alone and it is up to the governments of both India and Pakistan to decide. "BCCI can't say. It is a government issue, and they will have to take a call. We need to wait and see. And hopefully, it will happen because the (ODI) World Cup is coming up, Pakistan team will be in India to play," Binny told news agency PTI after returning to India from his historic visit to Pakistan.
Binny and BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla returned to India via the Attari-Wagah border on Wednesday after watching Asia Cup matches on Pakistan Cricket Board's invitation. It was the first instance in 17 years that the two BCCI office bearers travelled to Pakistan.
India and Pakistan are currently engaged in the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka with their next Super 4 match scheduled for Sunday. The two cricketing giants will meet again in the much-anticipated World Cup clash on October 14 in Ahmedabad. But after that, the fans will have to wait for another ICC event or an Asia Cup to catch an India-Pakistan match as the two countries have stopped playing bilaterals.
The last time India toured Pakistan for a bilateral was way back in 2006. Their last visit to Pakistan was in 2008 during the Asia Cup. Although Pakistan came to India for a short white-ball series in 2012, the cricketing ties between the two nations have been limited to ICC and ACC events for the last decade and a enough.
On being asked if cricket can be a medium to restore peace between the two countries, Binny said, "Cricket has always been an important medium even before. Take the 2004 tour, for example; the atmosphere that was created resulted in a great friendship and trade delegations. The shopkeepers were not even taking money from people, that was a great atmosphere."
The BCCI president said Pakistan took great care of their hospitality. "We had a very good meeting in Pakistan. We received very good hospitality. They took care of us very well. The main agenda was to watch cricket and to sit and discuss things with them. Overall, it was a very good trip," he added. "Pakistan treated us very well, they went out of the way to make us comfortable."
Shukla also praised PCB for its hospitality.
"The meeting was very good. The Pakistan Cricket Board took very good care of us. The security was tremendous, all the arrangements were fabulous. It was a goodwill visit for cricket which went well.
"The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President Mr Jay Shah is also BCCI secretary, so keeping in mind that, we had this visit. BCCI enjoys a good relationship will all the ACC members, that's why we also visited Sri Lanka."
