The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a ban on Pakistan’s inclusion in the World Champions League (WCL) moving forward. The decision, which was taken during the Board of Governors (BoG) meeting on Sunday, comes in response to the Indian team opting out of two tournament games, including the semi-final, citing tense relations between the two countries. Despite walking over, Indian Champions, featuring retired players, were handed one point in the group stage game.
PCB expressed its disappointment at the tournament organisers’ response to India forfeiting both games, which the board said was ‘tainted with hypocrisy and bias’.
“The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announces that it is issuing a blanket ban from future participation in the World Championship of Legends (WCL),” the statement read.
“The PCB reviewed with considerable disappointment WCL’s appalling conduct of awarding points to a willfully forfeiting team, and the content of the press releases of the WCL announcing the cancellation of the scheduled India vs. Pakistan legends matches, which were tainted with hypocrisy and bias.”
The WCL organizers took to their social media and apologized for ‘hurting the sentiments’ following the cancellation of both games, claiming the games were planned to ‘inspire and bring positive change to the world’. Pakistan’s cricket governing body, however, flagged the organizers for being inconsistent with the essence of the said narrative. The board maintained that the decision to call off the games was influenced by nationalist bias rather than merit.
“The contents of the said press releases highlight a duality where the narrative of ‘peace through sport’ is selectively applied and sporting events are held hostage to political expediency and narrow commercial interests.
For a tournament involving legendary players to be dictated by sentiments that undermine this fundamental principle is not only regrettable but also deeply concerning for the future of independent sporting events.”
“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. This bias, masquerading as sensitivity, sends an unacceptable message to the international sporting community.”
While ensuring its commitment to taking up the sport worldwide, the PCB said it cannot let its players be part of tournaments where the spirit of the game is threatened.
“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.”
While India and Pakistan were both handed a point each following the cancellation of the group-stage game in Birmingham, Pakistan Champions were promoted to the final, being the table-toppers.
The already strained relations between Pakistan and India have worsened since the military stand-off between the two countries in May, following the Pahalgam incident. Both sides are scheduled to meet in their Asia Cup fixture in September, which, for quite a while, was rumoured to go down the same road as the WCL games.
