New Delhi: BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla on Monday said the International Cricket Council (ICC) was right in warning Pakistan of severe repercussions for its selective pullout from the high-profile T20 World Cup contest against India in Colombo on February 15.
Pakistan’s decision, conveyed through an official government statement, is being seen as a political protest linked to Bangladesh’s removal from the tournament after the world body declined its request to shift matches from India to Sri Lanka on security grounds.
The ICC has already warned the Pakistan Cricket Board that a boycott of the marquee fixture could lead to punitive sanctions and said that the decision is not in the interest of the game in general.
In its statement, the ICC warned that Pakistan’s decision amounted to ‘selective participation’ and was incompatible with the principles of a global sporting event. While respecting government roles, it stressed the move was not in the interest of the global game or fans and cautioned the PCB about serious long-term repercussions for Pakistan cricket, including its standing within the international framework.
Congress Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor also said the game can’t be held to ransom, though said the BCCI should have never denied Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman his IPL contract, which kicked off the controversy in the first place. Bangladesh refused to travel to India for security reasons, the ICC omitted it from the roster, and Pakistan made a political scene, expressing ‘solidarity’ with the former.
“It is pretty disgraceful that sport has been politicised in this way on both sides, frankly. I don’t think that Mustafizur should have been denied his contract to play in Kolkata. It was most unfortunate intrusion of politics,” Tharoor told reporters.
“I think the Bangladeshi reaction was an overreaction but it is also a reflection of the same and Pakistan is trying to show its solidarity with Bangladesh. This whole thing is spiralling out of control. I honestly think this is now a wake up call for all concerned to contact each other on an emergency basis, the ICC could be the platform for it – just say, let’s call off this nonsense…You can’t go on like this forever,” he said.
