What PCB should do ...

Screw it.

This is what PCB should do now that it has received an official reply for tour cancellation.

1- Remove ICL bans from all Pakistani players. Screw the fact that ICL is not recognized, remove all bans and those who consistently performed for ICL should be taken a good look for national team.

2- Send an official letter to BCCI/Indian government that Pakistan will not consider playing matches in UAE, period. If the series is not happening on home turf, why bother to accommodate the double standards and hypocrisy?

3- It is obvious that PCB will cut staff due to little to no earnings in 2008, so financially, they cannot afford to start an internal league (PPL etc). Right now, PCB should be focusing on it’s domestic tournaments, the current Pentagular cup tournament and focus more on developing competition internally, which is financially more reasonable to do.

4- During the time-window when India was supposed to be in Pakistan, if BCCI so much as even consider rescheduling the postponed Twenty20 Champions League while invitations are sent out to the rest of the countries to send their players (with a pat on the back by BCCI), PCB should cut it’s ties with IPL, bring back all Pakistani players from that league, place them on retainer contracts if necessary or have them play in domestic or international cricket.

Re: What PCB should do ...

One thing that PCB do is work hard to tell other boards that its a "political" cancellation and not the "security" related cancellation because in later case, other teams will get pretext.

To do that PCB should not request BCCI or agree to any suggestion of neutral venue. Period!

1- Not the right reason to remove the ICL bans. If PCB wants to remove it, then better remove it without using this reason that this is in retaliation to the Indian cancellation. The decision to cancel the tour came from the Indian Govt. and not BCCI. The BCCI have supported PCB on several occasions during the last few years and we should remember that and should not be irrational towards them.

2- I agree and I am sure BCCI will not be considering any such move as well because the decision to cancel the tour was a political decision that Indian team shouldn't be playing with Pakistan and thus the venue should not matter.

4- Do not think that the Champions league can take place in January or Feb, since Australian and south african teams will be busy in their domestics T20 competition plus their national teams will be playing each other.

As far as IPL is concerned, again PCB should not cut ties with IPL. Again we need to realize that this is political decision and lets accept the fact that sooner or later these two countires will start playing cricket again. Any hasty decisions now will make PCB look stupid when situation will start to get better between the two countries. Having said that if the IPL contracted Pakistani players don't feel safe in India due to any anti Pakistani sentiments or the Govt. of Pakistan doesn't give security clearance to these players then that's a different issue.

Any guesses who will be the eventual losers if the above happened.

Everything is out in the open. The world is a witness. What PCB has the power to do, it can backfire. Remember the time when PCB were involved in organizing and bringing over the Australian security task force for site visits before Champions Trophy. How that plan backfired, the things in the report that was passed onto Australia after the assessment by the head of the security team was mind-boggling.

PCB cannot lure if their minds are set on looking at Pakistan as the terrorist hotbed, how much guarantee do foreign teams need except for the fact that PCB have always assured the security equal to the head of state?

What guarantee did BCCI give to England for continuing the series other than deploying heavy rangers and army throughout the area? Haroon Lorgat from ICC said that you cannot go more than that. PCB have gone on to lengths to entice foreign teams to tour. The foreign teams' assumptions and pretext may not/never change.

1- In fact, PCB should be the first one to remove the bans on the basis of tour cancellation, what else logical reason would PCB give other than in retaliation (or as a move to "ease the tension")? It is hard to make something up in this situation, no? Remove all bans and be the first board to do so from sub-continent after Sri Lanka's bleak attempt where they had their banned players play in domestic but not internationals. PCB have now a valid and logical reason to take a step.

And why should PCB not cut it's ties with IPL? God forbid if a similar incident happened in Pakistan and the blame was on India, would BCCI/Indian government let their players continue in PPL or Pakistan's domestic circuit? Would they not consider parting ways?

The decision does not have to come from "PCB" for removing the ICL bans, it can be directed as the decision by "Pakistani government".

PCB is not making any money by banning Pakistani players while the amount of money that these players are earning is largely going to these players, aside from their agents and whatnot. PCB is not making a dime out of any of it's players in IPL. Only players will suffer, as you mentioned.

I am not in favour of banning any player from ICL ..... but in this particular case if pakistan decides to lift the ban, They will invariably taking on ICC and not only BCCI ..... It will be a sucidal move