Fixtures between the India and Pakistan women teams remain to be doubtful. As of now, there is no clarity on whether the two sides will meet for a bilateral series or not.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had earlier referred to the International Cricket Council (ICC) after they got no response from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the championship matches.
India was scheduled to host Pakistan in between July and October but the bilateral series did not take place. The window for hosting the 3 ODI matches has been closed. India now needs strong representation from the BCCI if they want to qualify directly for the 50-overs World Cup in 2021.
As reported by Firoz Mirza of newindianexpress.com, ICC said it does not have anything to share on the issue at the moment.
ICC Women’s Championship is a process by which direct qualification to the 50-overs World Cup can be made by the top 4 teams. Top 8 cricketing nations play ODI matches against each other and accumulate points. At the end of the Championship cycle, the top 4 teams directly qualify for the next Women’s World Cup.
It is not the first time that India has declined to play against Pakistan. In the first edition of the Championship, India had refused to play and thus had to forfeit match points to Pakistan Women. India had to then play the Qualifiers to make it to the 2017 World Cup.
Currently, India is ranked 3rd in the championship table. It has completed all its championship matches except those against Pakistan. Pakistan will play the last round of its matches against England. South Africa and New Zealand both have six more to go. In such a situation, these teams can surpass India in their race of direct qualification for the World Cup.
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