Travelling to Pakistan not BCCI's call, government will decide: BCCI chief Roger Binny
Bengaluru, Oct 20: The BCCI can't take a call on its own on whether the Indian team will travel to Pakistan for the 2023 Asia Cup or not as it relies on the government to make such decisions, new Board president Roger Binny said on Thursday.
Speaking at an event organised by Karnataka State Cricket Association here, Binny said the BCCI has not approached the government yet on travelling to Pakistan next year but eventually the central government will only decide on the matter.
"That is not BCCI's call. We need government's clearance to leave the country. Whether we leave the country or teams coming into the country, we need clearance.
"Once we get clearance from the government then we go with it. We can't make decision on our own. We have to rely on the government. We have not approached them yet," said World Cup winner Binny.
The Asia Cup is scheduled to be played in Pakistan in September next year, ahead of the ODI World Cup in India.
Binny's comments came after BCCI secretary Jay Shah said the Indian team will not travel to Pakistan next year for the Asia Cup and will instead like to play the tournament at a neutral venue.
Earlier on Thursday, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said the Indian team will need clearance from the Home Ministry to travel to Pakistan.
A 'disappointed' Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday requested the Asian Cricket Council to convene an emergency meeting.
Referring to Shah's comment, the PCB had said that "such statements can spilt the Asian and international cricket communities" and impact Pakistan's visit to India for the 2023 World Cup.
India haven't travelled to Pakistan since the 2008 Asia Cup, and after the Mumbai terror attack on November 26 that year, the scheduled bilateral series in early 2009 was cancelled.
Pakistan did travel to India for a short six-match white-ball series in 2012, but in the last 10 years, there hasn't been any bilateral cricket. The two teams have only played each other at various ICC and ACC events.
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Probe into Zubeen Garg's death ongoing, no foul play suspected yet: Singapore police
Singapore (PTI): Investigations into the death of singer Zubeen Garg are ongoing but so far no foul play is suspected, Singapore police have said.
Garg died under mysterious circumstances while swimming in the sea in Singapore on September 19.
The case is currently still being investigated by the Singapore Police Force (SPF), in accordance with the Singapore Coroners Act 2010, the police said on Thursday.
“Based on our investigations so far, the SPF does not suspect foul play in the death of Garg,” said the statement.
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Upon completion of the investigations, the findings will be submitted to the State Coroner in Singapore, who will hold a Coroner’s Inquiry (CI), currently scheduled for January and February 2026.
A CI is a fact-finding process led by the Coroner to establish the cause and circumstances of death. Its findings will be made public upon conclusion, said the SPF.
Singapore police are committed to conducting a thorough and professional investigation into the case, it said.
“We seek the patience and understanding of the parties involved. Meanwhile, we urge the public not to speculate and spread unverified information,” said SPF.
A Special Investigation Team probing Garg's death charged four accused, including the singer’s secretary Siddhartha Sharma and festival organiser Shyamkanu Mahanta, with murder in a chargesheet filed in a court in India last week.
Garg was due to perform at the 4th Northeast India Festival at Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre on September 20.
