There are clouds of crisis looming over Pakistan's hosting of the Champions Trophy tournament to be held next year. In fact, the Indian Cricket Board (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.
Meanwhile, 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 the International Cricket Council (ICC) should not give the two countries the right to host global competitions until both solve their problems.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (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.
'…I probably would have taken this drastic step'
56-year-old 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).
VIDEO | “There's a big possibility that Pakistan can stop playing cricket against India. If I had would have been in power then yes, I may have taken this strong step. I would not blame anyone on this, if you don't want to play then Don't play against us. If I had been there then… pic.twitter.com/BzcEh39Rbj
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 13, 2024
He said, 'If I was there, I would have taken this decision and fought against 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. It doesn't happen.'
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.
ICC has a lot at stake: Latif
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.
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.
He said, '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 saw 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. He said, 'We did not play at home for 12 years. What could be more sad than this? Pakistan will get 34 million dollars (from ICC) every 8 years, whether they play India or not. The boards which are rich will suffer losses, not the boards like PCB which do not have money.
Leave a comment