New Delhi. ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is to be organized in Pakistan next year. The Indian team will not tour Pakistan for this tournament. There is an uproar in Pakistan regarding this. Former Pakistani cricketer is criticizing BCCI while taking him to task. Former wicketkeeper batsman Rashid Latif said that if he had the power, he would not have allowed Pakistan to play against India in any tournament. He also suggested that ICC should not give the right to host global competitions to both the countries till then. Unless both of them solve their problems.
BCCI has refused to send its team to Pakistan for the upcoming Champions Trophy. And there is speculation that the entire tournament may be organized outside the country. The PCB has written a letter to the ICC seeking written confirmation from the BCCI that India is unable to travel to Pakistan for the tournament. Latif told ‘PTI Video’, ‘There is a possibility that Pakistan may stop playing cricket against India. If I had the power then yes, I probably would have taken this drastic step. I will not blame anyone for this. If you don’t want to play (in Pakistan) then don’t play against us (at all).
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He said, ‘If I was there, I would have taken this decision and fought against the BCCI.’ Latif suggested that the ICC should not allow both India and Pakistan to host major tournaments until the issues are resolved. Latif, who played 37 Tests and 166 ODIs for Pakistan, said, ‘From my point of view, the ICC should put the hosting rights of both the countries on hold until the issues between them are resolved, until their problems are resolved. There is no solution. On political interference in cricket, especially in Asia, Latif referred to the ICC’s ban on Sri Lanka (in 2023) and Zimbabwe (in 2019) and questioned why the global governing body is so soft on India and Pakistan.
Why are sanctions not being imposed on India and Pakistan?
The ICC had suspended Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) in November last year for alleged political interference in the administration of the game in the country. The suspension was lifted in January this year. Latif said, ‘Why are sanctions not being imposed on India and Pakistan? Because ICC has a lot at stake on him. The former cricketer criticized the BCCI’s stance regarding the security concerns of the Indian team in Pakistan, saying that the ICC’s security team had assessed his country and considered it safe.
‘It should be in writing that…’
Latif said, ‘I would say that this is the first time that BCCI is at fault. The reason they are giving is very weak. It should be in writing that BCCI and the Indian cricket team are feeling threatened. The ICC security team came here and gave the green signal for the tournament. If you had any problem you could have told them.
‘No one has seen it in writing’
Asked whether Pakistan would withdraw from the Champions Trophy if the tournament is shifted elsewhere, the veteran player said, ‘Nobody has seen it in writing. This has to be written on a piece of paper. We have spoken to the PCB and they have said that they have sent an email to the Pakistan government in this regard. This is a serious legal issue, no one is ready to give it in writing. Latif is confident that the lack of matches with India will not hamper the progress of Pakistan cricket.
Pakistan will get 34 million dollars every 8 years
According to Rashid Latif, ‘We did not play at home for 12 years. What could be more sad than this? Pakistan will get $34 million (from the ICC) every eight years, whether they play India or not. The boards which are rich will suffer losses, not a board like PCB which has no money. Pakistan can save its existence by playing bilateral series, even if it does not play major ICC tournaments.
Tags: Champions Trophy, India Vs Pakistan
FIRST PUBLISHED : November 13, 2024, 5:05 PM IST