Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday, August 3, confirmed that it will be imposing a ‘blanket ban’ on their team’s participation in the World Championship of Legends (WCL) from future editions. PCB alleged that the WCL organisers’ statements and press releases with respect to cancellations of the India Champions vs Pakistan Champions were “tainted with hypocrisy and bias.” The decision was taken at the PCB’s 79th Board of Governors meeting, chaired by Mohsin Naqvi.
“The WCL’s apology for “hurting the sentiments”, whilst being farcical, inadvertently acknowledges that the cancellation was not based on cricketing merit, but rather on succumbing to a specific nationalistic narrative,” the PCB said in a statement. “This bias, masquerading as sensitivity, sends an unacceptable message to the international sporting community.”
The PCB also expressed its disappointment in how the cancellation of the group stage match between India Champions and Pakistan Champions was treated by “awarding points to a willfully forfeiting team.” Several India Champions players, including Shikhar Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina and the Pathan brothers, withdrew from the said game on July 20, a day before, amid growing outrage on social media.
Both teams were awarded one point and that helped India Champions qualify for the semi-finals, after losing three matches and winning just one, against the West Indies. Coincidentally, Pakistan Champions finished at the top and the two teams were up against each other once again. The match was called off yet again, with the organisers’ statement mentioning that it was done to ‘respect the public opinion’.
“The PCB remains committed to promoting cricket globally and fostering healthy sporting rivalries. However, we cannot allow our players to be part of events where the spirit of the game is overshadowed by skewed politics that undermines the very essence of sportsmanship and the gentleman’s game,” the statement further read.
The India Champions were knocked out for forfeiting the game for the second time and the Pakistan Champions advanced to the final. They faced the South Africa Champions in the final and were eventually defeated by AB de Villiers and Co. The South African superstar smashed his third century of the competition to chase down 196 runs without any discomfort.
