The Committee of Administrators running Indian cricket on Friday decided against taking any stand on the World Cup clash against Pakistan but urged the ICC and other nations to “sever ties” with countries from where “terrorism emanates”.
There has been a call to boycott the June 16 World Cup face-off against Pakistan at the Old Trafford in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack, which killed more than 40 CRPF personnel.
“The 16th of June is very far away. We will take a call on that much later and in consultation with the government,” CoA chief Vinod Rai said after the meeting.
Asked if players have been consulted on the issue, Rai replied in the negative.
“In an email to the ICC, we have expressed our concerns about the terrorist attack that has taken place. We are telling them that security of players and match officials should be appropriately taken care of,” Rai said.
“I will not make any comments on that issue. Whatever we consult with the government, we will do it at a later stage.“Please understand we still have three months time. We will abide by what government says. We can’t comment on hypothetical situations as we haven’t arrived at a decision,” the former CAG added.
It was a foregone conclusion that CoA would not take any decision on the matter as the ICC can’t ban Pakistan as per rules.It is understood that BCCI officials are also concerned that such a stand might cost them the hosting rights of the 2021 Champions Trophy and the 2023 World Cup.
The call to boycott the World Cup match came from some prominent names in Indian cricket such as senior off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and former captains Mohammed Azharuddin and Sourav Ganguly.
