Embarrassed by India's snub, PCB imposes a blanket ban on Pakistan's WCL participation
India's firm stance to boycott any fixtures involving Pakistan at the World Championship of Legends has left deep scars on the PCB. Team India, the defending champions, were scheduled to kick off their WCL 2025 campaign against Pakistan. However, many players, including Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina, pulled out of the game. The hostility stemmed from the India-Pakistan conflict earlier this year, which was triggered by the heinous terror attack in Pahalgam. Eventually, the fixture was called off altogether as WCL apologised for hurting Indian sentiments. Now, as WCL 2025 has concluded with the South Africa Champions beating the Pakistan Champions in the final, the PCB has taken a stern step.
PCB condemns WCL over its stance on India vs Pakistan fixtures
Despite India's stance in the campaign opener, Pakistan seemed absurdly confident about facing their arch-rivals again in the tournament. The opportunity arose when the India Champions qualified for the WCL 2025 semi-finals, setting up a knockout match against the Pakistan Champions. However, irrespective of the stakes, India opted to abandon the match instead of playing against Pakistan. The India vs Pakistan semi-final was called off, and Pakistan automatically advanced to the final. Bolstered by an impressive ton from AB de Villiers, South Africa beat Pakistan by 9 wickets to lift the trophy.
Now, the latest reports emerging from Pakistan suggest that the WCL 2025 final could be Pakistan's last appearance in the veterans' tournament. The Pakistan Cricket Board is miffed by all that went down during the season. The board, headed by Mohsin Naqvi, who also happens to be the chief of the Asian Cricket Council, drafted a detailed statement. In the official statement, the PCB took aim at the WCL, calling the tournament "biased."
“The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announces that it is issuing a blanket ban from future participation in the World Championship of Legends (WCL). The PCB, during its 79th BoG meeting held virtually under the chairmanship of Mohsin Naqvi, reviewed with considerable disappointment WCL’s appalling conduct of awarding points to a willfully forfeiting team, and the content of the press releases of the WCL announcing the cancellation of the scheduled India vs. Pakistan legends matches, which were tainted with hypocrisy and bias,” the PCB said in their statement.
In the statement released on Sunday, a day after the season's conclusion, PCB condemned the World Championship of Legends organisers for what it described as blatant double standards. Citing the conduct of the tournament officials, the board announced a complete ban on future participation. The PCB criticised the organisers' justification for calling off India vs Pakistan matches, dismissing it as “farcical” and lacking any basis in cricketing merit.
"The WCL’s apology for "hurting the sentiments", whilst being farcical, inadvertently acknowledges that the cancellation was not based on cricketing merit, but rather on succumbing to a specific nationalistic narrative. This bias, masquerading as sensitivity, sends an unacceptable message to the international sporting community," the PCB stated.
“In light of this unfortunate development, which underscores a clear and intolerable pattern of external influence and a disregard for the principles of sporting neutrality, the Pakistan Cricket Board is compelled to take a firm stance. The PCB can no longer condone participation in an event where the fundamental principles of fair play and unbiased administration are compromised by external pressures,” the statement added.
