The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to impose a strict ban on Pakistan teams taking part in future World Championship of Legends (WCL) tournaments after not once, but twice India pulled out of the tournament. The Shahid Afridi-led side was left to massive embarrassment after this royal snub by India in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack.
First, the Yuvraj Singh-led India Champions refused to play a league game against Pakistan. Later, they again repeated the gesture, this time during a semi-final game, which allowed direct entry to the final for the Shahid Afridi-led side. However, what irked PCB was that despite India pulling out of the group stage game, the WCL authorities gave one point to the Men in Blue.
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PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has expressed his anger and displeasure and said the WCL organizers were biased. During a virtual meeting led by PCB's Board of Governors, led by Naqvi, the board openly criticized the WCL on how it handled the situation.
"The cancellation was not based on cricketing merit but on appeasing a specific nationalistic narrative," the PCB said in a statement as quoted by ESPN.
"However, we cannot allow our players to be part of events where the spirit of the game is overshadowed by skewed politics that undermine the very essence of sportsmanship and the gentleman's game."
For the unversed, Indian players, including Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Shikhar Dhawan, Irfan & Yusuf Pathan, refused to play against Pakistan in a group-stage game. The players' decision were unanimously based on the rising political situation between two Asian Countries, following the Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people, and following India's military response, known as Operation Sindoor.
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