LAHORE, Pakistan: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday imposed a blanket ban on the country’s future participation in the World Championship of Legends (WCL), citing “hypocrisy and bias” after Indian team was awarded points despite forfeiting their semi-final clash against Pakistan Champions.
In a strongly worded statement, the PCB said the decision was taken after Chairman Mohsin Naqvi reviewed “with considerable disappointment” the WCL’s conduct and its official communications, which the Board claimed were “tainted with hypocrisy and bias.”
The controversy stems from the WCL semi-final scheduled for Thursday, where India Champions forfeited their match against Pakistan Champions.
As a result, the Pakistani side advanced to the final, while WCL issued a statement on 30 July supporting India’s withdrawal, saying that “public sentiment must always be respected” and affirming its belief in “the power of sport to inspire and bring about positive change.”
While WCL praised both sides, noting “the India Champions’ decision to withdraw” and “the Pakistan Champions’ readiness to compete,” the PCB took exception to the tone and content of the statement, accusing the league of selectively applying its stated values of “peace through sport.”
In its response, the PCB said, “The contents of WCL’s press release highlight a duality where the narrative of ‘peace through sport’ is selectively applied, and sporting events are held hostage to political expediency and narrow commercial interests.”
“The PCB has always advocated for the separation of sports and politics,” the statement read, adding that cricket should remain a “platform for goodwill, healthy competition, and mutual respect.”
The Board said that allowing legendary players to be influenced by sentiments that compromise sporting merit was “deeply concerning” and posed a threat to the future of truly independent sporting events.
Criticising WCL’s apology for “hurting sentiments,” the PCB described it as “farcical” and said it “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 statement continued.
“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 statement added.
The Board concluded by stating that it “can no longer condone participation in an event where the fundamental principles of fair play and unbiased administration are compromised by external pressures.”
Despite the ban, the PCB reaffirmed its commitment to the global promotion of cricket and to fostering healthy sporting rivalries.
However, it maintained that it would not allow its players to feature in tournaments where “the spirit of the game is overshadowed by skewed politics.”
The WCL is an international T20 league featuring retired, non-contracted international players. The inaugural edition of the tournament was held in Birmingham, England, from 18 July.
