David Richardson in a file image.
International Cricket Council (ICC) CEO David Richardson has said that the cricket boards of India and Pakistan should resolve their issues on a bilateral basis.
The comment came in the backdrop of a case filed by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) against Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for not playing any bilateral cricket with them despite signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which guarantees six bilateral series between 2015 and 2023.
The Indian board, however, have claimed that the MoU is not binding on them as PCB did not adhere to some of the clauses mentioned in the document.
The hearing in the matter is scheduled to be held at the ICC Headquarters in Dubai from October 1 to October 3.
Speaking during Media Day event at the ICC headquarters, Richardson said, "We obviously don't enjoy the fact that two country boards are in dispute between each other. It is a matter between India and Pakistan. We would like the resumption of ties between the two nations on a bilateral basis.
Richardson further stated that they are always up for facilitating any settlement if required.
"We will facilitate any settlement decision if we can. Other than that, it is up to the two nations," he added.
Reflecting on cricket's Olympics prospects, ICC CEO said that they would love to have the game in the prestigious tournament but for that to happen all the country boards should be on the same track.
"I would also like to be in 2028 Olympics but we have no chance of that unless we are united as a sport," Richardson said.
Expressing his views on how to tackle the decreasing popularity of Test cricket, Richardson said that the first step in that direction would be to improve the marketing of the format.
"We need to improve the marketing of the Test matches. Creating the context and meaning for test cricket is the first step," he said.
"Clever scheduling, early scheduling- there is myriad of different things that we can do," he concluded.
