Mumbai: In solidarity with the prevailing anti-Pakistan sentiment in the country, a number of leading ex-India cricketers refused to play ball with Pakistan, having qualified for the semi-final scheduled on Thursday in the World Championship of Legends (WCL) being played in England.
Earlier in the tournament, the India-Pakistan league match was abandoned for the same reason and the teams had shared points. It is learnt India’s no show in the semis will give the Pakistan Champions side direct entry into the final, to face South Africa or Australia on Saturday.
WCL in a statement acknowledged “the power of sport to inspire” but said “public sentiment must always be respected”. It added: “We respect the India Champions’ decision to withdraw from the semi-finals, and we equally respect the Pakistan Champions’ readiness to compete. Taking all factors into consideration, the match… has been called off. As a result, Pakistan Champions will advance to the final.”
Before the Indian team led by Yuvraj Singh made their stand known to the organisers, Indian sponsors EaseMyTrip had refused to be associated with the match, leaving the contest in troubled waters.
“We applaud Team India @India_Champions for their outstanding performance in the World Championship of Legends, you’ve made the nation proud. However, the upcoming semi-final against Pakistan is not just another game. Terror and cricket cannot go hand in hand. EaseMyTrip, we stand with India. We cannot support any event that attempts to normalise relations with a country that promotes terrorism. The people of India have spoken and we hear them. EaseMyTrip will not be associated with the India vs Pakistan match in WCL. Some things are bigger than sport. Nation first, business later. Always. Jai Hind,” EaseMyTrip founder Nishant Pitti posted on X.
{{/usCountry}}“We applaud Team India @India_Champions for their outstanding performance in the World Championship of Legends, you’ve made the nation proud. However, the upcoming semi-final against Pakistan is not just another game. Terror and cricket cannot go hand in hand. EaseMyTrip, we stand with India. We cannot support any event that attempts to normalise relations with a country that promotes terrorism. The people of India have spoken and we hear them. EaseMyTrip will not be associated with the India vs Pakistan match in WCL. Some things are bigger than sport. Nation first, business later. Always. Jai Hind,” EaseMyTrip founder Nishant Pitti posted on X.
{{/usCountry}}WCL is a private tournament featuring past cricketers. The six teams are West Indies, South Africa, Australia, England, India and Pakistan. Matches are being played across four cities in the UK with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) playing hosts. Actor Ajay Devgn and entrepreneur Harshit Tomar are founders.
The league claimed to have garnered over 325 million viewers in the inaugural edition last year, on the back of a blockbuster final where India Champions beat Pakistan Champions. Like every other cricket tournament, the India-Pakistan face-off is the marquee clash.
Relations between the countries deteriorated sharply this year following an intense four-day military conflict — their worst standoff in decades — that killed more than 70 people in missile, drone and artillery fire on both sides. The conflict was triggered by the April 22 terror attack on civilians in Kashmir that New Delhi accused Pakistan of backing.
Saying no to cricket with Pakistan has been hotly debated in the ongoing parliament session with many opposition party members questioning the government on the men’s Asia Cup going ahead in the UAE with India and Pakistan scheduled to clash more than once. BCCI requires the government’s nod for an India-Pakistan contest even in a multi-nation tournament.
In the WCL, Shikhar Dhawan was the first Indian player to opt out of the Pakistan match during the league stage. In an angry response, Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi called him a ‘rotten egg’ while speaking to the local media.
Among other players in the team, Harbhajan Singh is a Rajya Sabha MP and Yusuf Pathan a Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha MP from Berhampore. The national general secretary of Pathan’s party, Abhishek Banerjee, said on Monday that India must not engage with Pakistan in any sphere and that the only engagement with that country should be on the battlefield.