Expressing concern over the possibility of the upcoming series against India being postponed further due to a telecast row, Pakistan Cricket Board on Wednesday said in such an eventuality it would be difficult for its team to tour at a later date due to prior commitments.
A call-off at this stage when all is set for the tour to begin next week would also be highly disappointing for the cricket fans on both sides of the border and result in heavy loss of revenue, it said.
"PCB is perturbed to learn from Indian news reports that the Pakistan-India series could be postponed if a High Court decision did not permit the BCCI to decide on television rights for the series," it said in a press release.
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"Moreover, further postponement of the tour would be difficult because Pakistan would be touring the West Indies in early May. PCB hopes that the television rights issue would be resolved expeditiously so that the tour can proceed on schedule."
With the Indian Cricket Board locked in a legal battle with telecasters over the four-year rights of the matches to be held in India, BCCI President Ranbir Singh Mahendra said yesterday that the series against Pakistan could be called off if the issue was not resolved in time.
Mahendra's remarks were widely carried in the media here and some newspapers even carried it as lead story with headline, 'Pak-India cricket series may be called off'.
According to the schedule, Pakistan are slated to play three Tests and six one-day internationals during the tour beginning on February 28.
The tour has already been delayed by four days following the controversy over Ahmedabad as a Test venue for the series.
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