India may request ICC to ban Pakistan from international cricket

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India may request ICC to ban Pakistan from international cricket

India would also withdrawing from all scheduled matches with them which would mean a breach of several contracts.

by

Allan Jacob

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Published: Fri 22 Feb 2019, 11:01 PM

A storm could be brewing in world cricket if the Indian cricket board is allowed to have its way with the International Cricket Council (ICC) on ending all international ties with Pakistan and 'banning' the country from the game. To complicate matters, there is trouble in the ranks of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) with two of its members at loggerheads and the Indian Supreme Court asking them to avoid making contradictory statements on what to take up with the ICC.
Indications are that the numbers are stacked against the Indian board at the ICC.
A decision to end all cricketing ties with Pakistan could emerge during a meeting on Friday between Vinod Rai and Diana Eduljee who comprise the Commitee of Administrators of the Board.
Everything hinges on a letter that is purported to have been written by the Indian Board's CEO, Rahul Johri, to the ICC seeking a ban on Pakistan playing international cricket. India would also withdrawing from all scheduled matches with them which would mean a breach of several contracts.
We cannot confirm if that letter is in the realm of fiction or not but we are fairly certain that any move to seek a ban on Pakistan from playing international cricket or India pulling out of matches against that team would be against the spirit of the game or international rules of the sport. Such a letter, it ever dispatched, will be discussed at the ICC meeting in Dubai on February 27 but could find its way into the garbage bin.
But in India emotions are running high with former cricketers led by former players Saurav Ganguly, Harbhajan Singh and some sections of the media fanning the slogan - 'no commerce, no contact and no cricket' with Pakistan. Pressure is therefore mounting on Indian Board to step in and use its clout with the ICC skip a crucial match for the sake of national honour. Cricket must be sacrificed for terror to end, is the argument that is being bandied about.
The match in question is the June 16 encounter in Manchester, England, during the ICC World Cup. Things could change by the time the two sides meet, but that's of no interest to those propagating a 'ban' and 'withdrawal' without understanding the laws and contractual obligations that are signed by all cricket playing nations.
The scheduled encounter in England is already a sell-out. Reports say 400,000 applied for 25,000 tickets and there are billions in advertisements riding on the big match.
In India, anchors and the usual screamers like Arnab Goswami who consider cricket to be some bloodsport want nothing throwing away matches with Pakistan.
Forfeit because we won't forget what happened in Pulwama, is the chorus, and it will interesting to see if the BCCI capitulates to their demands and sends a letter of intent to the ICC whose fate we already have an inkling about.
The government in New Delhi blames Islamabad for the suicide attack in Pulwama in Indian Kashmir that killed 45 paratroopers last weekend but hasn't explicitly called for a ban on all matches with Pakistan in international tournaments like the World Cup. The ball is now in the Indian Board's court.
In any case, bilateral Test visits by the two countries have not taken place since 2007 when Pakistan visited India. India won that series, 1-0.
allan@khaleejtimes.com


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