ICC forms three-member dispute panel for PCB’s compensation claims against BCCI
A three-member dispute resolution committee has been formed by the ICC to the USD 60 million claims made by PCB against BCCI for not honouring the MoU. In a statement released by the ICC, it has been confirmed that Michael Beloff QC will chair the Panel and the hearing will take place in October.
It has been 11 years since India and Pakistan played a full bilateral series. In 2014, the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which stated that the two nations will play 6 bilateral series’ between 2015 and 2023. However, the Indian central government has not given the permission to play Pakistan in a bilateral series due to the political tension going on between the two nations.
PCB had appealed to ICC's Dispute Resolution Committee, accusing the BCCI of not honouring the Future Tours & Programme (FTP) commitment. Hence, the PCB who lost out on a lot of revenue, have been demanding a USD 60 million compensation from the BCCI for not honouring the MoU.Â
“The International Cricket Council today confirmed that the Hon Michael Beloff QC will chair the Dispute Panel in the matter of proceedings between the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Board of Control for Cricket in India. The two other members of the panel, which has been established under the Terms of Reference of the ICC Disputes Resolution Committee, are Jan Paulsson and Dr Anabelle Benett AO, SC,” a statement released by ICC said.
It was also decided that the hearing will take place between October 1 and 3 in Dubai later this year. Also, this decision made by the dispute committee will not be appealable.Â
“The hearing will take place as per article 10.4 of the Terms of Reference of the ICC Disputes Resolution Committee, the decision of the Dispute Panel shall be non-appealable and shall remain the full and final decision in relation to the matter and binding on all parties,” the statement further said.Â
The BCCI has not lost out on revenues while the PCB was banking on a home series (in UAE) against India to generate a great amount of revenue to cover up for the loss incurred by nations for not travelling to Pakistan.Â
“Our contention is pretty simple. We will play Pakistan in ICC or multi-nation tournaments like Asia Cup but can't engage in a bilateral series until we get a go-ahead from the union government. There are certain sensitive issues that we need to take note of. It's not that ICC is unaware of what the circumstances are. The hearing is in October and there is still some time. Let's wait and watch,” a senior BCCI official was quoted saying by CricketNext.
