India are scared of Pakistan, claims PCB chief Shaharyar Khan

Pakistan pulled off one of the biggest upsets in recent cricket history when they thrashed India in the final of the Champions Trophy in England last month. The victory has provided a much-needed boost for Pakistan cricket as they haven’t played too much cricket at home, in the recent past. Moreover, the Champions Trophy triumph has also been seen as a momentous occasion which can bring back the game to the cricket-crazy nation. 

Following their Champions Trophy win, the PCB has openly challenged the BCCI to visit the country for a bilateral series. Speaking at a ceremony hosted by Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to honour the team for their Champions Trophy triumph, Shaharyar Khan on Tuesday, said, "After our win, we challenge India to come and play bilateral cricket with us. They don't play us, they are scared of our team. They say we'll play you in ICC matches but they won't play us otherwise," reported cricket portal PakPassion.

On the other hand, India has always maintained that they do not wish to tour Pakistan despite signing a MoU that had stated five bilateral series in the cycle between 2015-2023. Following this snub, the PCB has claimed that India owes it to them to play two home series in Pakistan which translates into millions of dollars of revenues for Pakistan cricket. 

Earlier, the PCB even sent a legal notice to the BCCI claiming a compensation for not honouring the above-mentioned MoU, but the BCCI dismissed the plea saying that the MoU was not binding.

Finally, speaking at the ceremony yesterday, Khan also named Sarfaraz Ahmed as the captain of the Pakistan Test team. "I take this opportunity to announce Ahmed as our Test captain in addition to one-day and Twenty20 captain," he said. The 30-year-old will lead Pakistan in the three-match Test series against Sri Lanka, likely to be held at the neutral venue of the United Arab Emirates in October.

Following Pakistan’s Champions Trophy triumph, Sharif rewarded every member of the Champions Trophy winning team with a prize of 10 million rupees ($100,000) while members of the team management received five million ($50,000).