Pakistan Cricket Board faces a major headache with their upcoming Tri-Series. PCB Chief Mohsin Naqvi begs ICC to step in urgently to fix the scheduling. Afghanistan’s participation hangs in the thread due to military tensions between nations.
The Tri-Series was scheduled from November 17-29, featuring three competitive teams. Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Pakistan were supposed to battle it out. But bilateral military issues have thrown everything into chaos.
Naqvi needs the ICC to create backup options before everything falls apart. The PCB chairman cannot afford this tournament collapsing on his watch. Sri Lanka remains committed, but Afghanistan’s pullout looks increasingly likely with each passing day.
Sri Lanka Gets Extra Matches
PCB invited Sri Lanka for three additional T20 matches before the Tri-Series. These games happen between November 11-15 as warm-up fixtures basically. Sri Lanka agreed immediately, giving Pakistan some breathing room at least temporarily.
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PCB Chief Mohsin Naqvi begs ICC because the January scheduling creates more problems ahead. Pakistan faces Australia in a white-ball series during January. Their star players also signed Big Bash League contracts recently, though.
“The PCB chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, has asked the International Cricket Council to start working on an alternate plan as wants the Tri-Series to go ahead,” a source said.
Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi all joined BBL franchises. Cricket Australia spent heavily promoting these Pakistani superstars joining their competition. They expect these players to honour their commitments without excuses or delays.
NOC Drama Brewing
The PCB might need to pull players back from the BBL early now. This would mean renegotiating the NOCs issued to those cricketers. PCB Chief Mohsin Naqvi begs ICC while also battling Cricket Australia privately.
Cricket Australia invested millions in marketing Pakistani stars appearing in their tournament. They won’t accept players leaving mid-tournament without a serious pushback guaranteed. The PCB finds itself trapped between multiple conflicting commitments currently here.
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Pakistan’s international schedule clashes with BBL dates throughout January. Players cannot be in two places simultaneously, despite everyone’s wishes. Someone will lose out when final decisions are made soon.
The situation tests Naqvi’s diplomatic skills in managing all stakeholders involved here. Afghanistan’s uncertainty makes everything ten times harder for planning purposes. The PCB needs ICC support desperately to resolve this mess quickly.
