By Staff Reporter
LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has barred its players from future participation in the World Championship of Legends (WCL), accusing the tournament of “hypocrisy and bias” after it awarded points to an Indian team that willfully forfeited a match against Pakistan
The decision follows decades of political tensions between India and Pakistan that have frequently disrupted bilateral sporting events, particularly cricket, a sport that commands near-religious devotion in both countries. Direct matches have become rare, with teams often meeting only in international tournaments and frequently refusing to cross borders, opting instead for neutral venues or hybrid formats. The WCL forfeiture and its aftermath have reignited this fraught dynamic.
The WCL, an international league featuring retired cricket stars playing T20 matches, commenced on July 18 in Birmingham, England. In this latest incident, the Pakistani veterans team advanced to the WCL final on Wednesday after the Indian players forfeited the semi-final scheduled for Thursday, July 31, 2025. Despite the forfeiture, the WCL awarded points to the Indian side, prompting a furious response from the PCB.
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, in a strongly worded statement released on Sunday, said he “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 the tournament’s decisions undermined the integrity of the competition.
The WCL, in a statement dated July 30, defended its stance, saying it has “always believed in the power of sport to inspire and bring about positive change in the world” but added that “public sentiment must always be respected , after all, everything we do is for our audience.” “We respect the India Champions’ decision to withdraw from the semi-finals, and we equally respect the Pakistan Champions’ readiness to compete.”
The PCB, however, dismissed this explanation as inadequate. “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 board said. It accused the WCL of bowing to external pressures rather than upholding fair play.
The PCB reiterated its long-standing position that sports and politics should remain separate. “Our unwavering belief is that cricket, like other international sports, should solely serve as a platform for goodwill, healthy competition, and mutual respect,” the statement read. “For a tournament involving legendary players to be dictated by sentiments that undermine this fundamental principle is not only regrettable but also deeply concerning for the future of independent sporting events.”
The board reserved particular scorn for the WCL’s apology for “hurting the sentiments,” which it called “farcical.” The PCB argued that the apology “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.”
Citing “a clear and intolerable pattern of external influence and a disregard for the principles of sporting neutrality,” the PCB said it had no choice but to act. “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 said. It emphasised that while the board remains committed to “promoting cricket globally and fostering healthy sporting rivalries,” it cannot allow players to take part in events where “the spirit of the game is overshadowed by skewed politics that undermines the very essence of sportsmanship and the gentleman’s game.”
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