Pakistan Must Receive Reimbursement Before It Can Be Friendly With India

Pakistan Cricket Board former Chair Ijaz Butt has "welcomed the planned revival of bilateral ties with India but insisted that Pakistan must ask the Board of Cricket Control in India to compensate it financially" for the cancelled series in '09, according to the PTI. Butt said, "It is a good thing that finally the Board of Control for Cricket in India has invited Pakistan to play a short series this year in India. But my concern is, the PCB needs to gain something more out of the series than the resumption of ties." The PCB has already accepted the invitation from the BCCI to tour India in December to play three-match One-Day Int'l series and two Twenty20 matches. A PCB spokesperson, however, said that Pakistan would not discuss "sharing of revenue generation for the series as its only interest was to see bilateral cricket ties revived" (PTI, 7/24).