India and Pakistan matches remain the highlight of June 2017. From men's cricket in the ICC Champions Trophy to hockey in the Hockey World League Semifinals and now, women's cricket with the ICC Women's World Cup.
The heavy defeat for Virat Kohli and team against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy 2017 final has left the Indian cricket fans embarrassed. One of the reasons for the heavy defeat, many feel, is the lack of know-how of the opponents as India play Pakistan only on rare occasions.
A bilateral series between India and Pakistan, therefore, could be the need of the hour. Matters like terrorism and political tensions across the border have overshadowed the cricketing aspect and India have felt the brunt of it during the Champions Trophy final.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Special General Meeting (SGM) on Monday, June 26, didn't bring out any major outcome as such. It was just another formality.
One of the very few key topics raised was the resumption of the India-Pakistan bilateral cricket series. Remember, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the countries in 2014 to play at least six bilateral series from 2015 until 2023. None of them saw the light of the day.
Speaking to the media, BCCI Acting Secretary Amitabh Chaudhary repeated just what we have been hearing for more than a year.
"We met with the PCB on the basis of a letter signed by the BCCI back in 2014. It was necessary," Chaudhary said. "Our position is still the same. The tour can take place only after government permission."
In other key takeaways from the meeting, the BCCI has now decided to form a six-member committee which would oversee the implementations of the Lodha Panel reforms in a swift manner.
"The Board of Control for Cricket in India will form a committee to ensure the principal order of Supreme Court can be implemented at the earliest. A five-six member committee will be formed tomorrow (Tuesday) to see how best and quickly the principal order of the Supreme Court can be implemented," said Chaudhary.
