India-Pakistan cricket talks cancelled after Shiv Sena attack BCCI office in Mumbai
India-Pakistan cricket talks cancelled after Shiv Sena attack BCCI office in Mumbai
Mumbai: The much-anticipated talks between BCCI President Shashank Manohar and his Pakistan counterpart Shahryar Khan will not take place today after Shiv Sena activists stormed the Indian Cricket Board headquarters protesting against bilateral series between the two countries. According to sources, the meeting has been cancelled for now in view of the protest at the BCCI headquarters during which hundreds of Shiv Sainiks stormed the Board office and gheraoed President Shashank Manohar in his office. “The talks are not happening as of now due to the current situation but you cannot say that it won’t happen in future,” a top BCCI source told PTI. ALSO READ: Shiv Sena storm BCCI office in Mumbai over cricket relations with Pakistan
Manohar had invited Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Shahryar Khan for talks on the much-anticipated series scheduled in December. Shahryar and PCB’s executive committee head Najam Sethi are in the city for the meeting after discussing the planned series with BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur earlier on the sidelines of the ICC meeting in Dubai.
Thakur had assured him a final decision could be taken later this month and conveyed Manohar’s invitation to visit India. There is speculation that the two neighbours could play either a bilateral series in the UAE or agree to a possible triangular series in December also involving Bangladesh.
Shiv Sena on Monday sprang a surprise when they stormed into the office of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), amid reports that the Indian cricket board chief Shashank Manohar is having a meeting with his Pakistani counterpart Shahryar Khan. The chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was reportedly in Mumbai to discuss the future bilateral cricket series between the two arch rivals, and the Shiv Sena stormed into the BCCI office on Monday shouted slogans. The Shiv Sainiks — who are the party members — were taken away by the police after a brief period during which they shouted slogans against the cricket relations between the two cricketing powerhouses. ALSO READ: Shiv Sena storms into BCCI office, protests against India vs Pakistan series: Twitter reactions
(With inputs from PTI)