In a major development, the International Cricket Council turned down Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s request to sever ties with nations which harbour terrorists. The ICC clarified that the international board has no role to play in such matters and BCCI’s request can’t be taken forward. In the wake of the Pulwama terror attack, the BCCI in a letter to ICC had requested the top board and its associate members to sever ties with nations which harbour terrorism.
ICC has made it clear that no associate member can be barred from taking part at the World Cup and there is no chance anything like that would happen.
“There was no chance that anything like that would have happened. The ICC chairman made it clear that the decision to ostracize a nation is taken at the government level and ICC had no rule. The BCCI knew it all along but still took a chance,” a BCCI official said.
The matter was discussed on Saturday during ICC board meeting in the presence of the international board’s chairman Shashank Manohar. Acting secretary Amitabh Choudhary was representing the BCCI at the meeting. India’s security concerns were also addressed at the meeting with the ICC assuring the cricket board of top security during the World Cup in England and Wales.
The official also added that none of the international players, who play in the Pakistan Super League have raised any such concern.
“So many players from member nations play the Pakistan Super League and they would have never entertained such a request. Yes, security was a concern and it had been duly addressed,” the official added.
Several former Indian cricketers including the likes of Sourav Ganguly and Mohammed Azharuddin had called for boycotting all ties with Pakistan following the dastardly Pulwama attack, which saw 40 CRPF soldiers getting martyred.
