About three-and-a-half years after the Mumbai terror attacks snapped cricketing ties between India and Pakistan, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) cleared the participation of a Pakistani team in the Champions League T20 tournament to be hosted by India in October.
The decision was taken at the BCCI’s working committee meeting here on Saturday.
Islamabad has been pushing for the inclusion of teams from Pakistan, the only major Test-playing nation to not have any representation in the tournament since its inception in 2009.
The November 2008 attacks had also resulted in Pakistani players being excluded from the Indian Premier League.
“It was thought that a Pakistani team could be a good crowd-puller. A motion to this effect was moved by the president (N Srinivasan) and was approved unanimously,” said MP Pandove, an IPL governing council member.
The decision will have to be ratified by the CL T20 governing council that also includes Cricket Australia and Cricket South Africa.
“We will recommend to the council that the BCCI has no objection to inviting a team from Pakistan,” Srinivasan said. If things work out, the BCCI will invite Pakistan’s domestic T20 champions Sialkot Stallions to participate in the event.
Srinivasan, however, refused to comment on the revival of cricket ties. “The decision is limited to the Champions League.”
{{/usCountry}}Srinivasan, however, refused to comment on the revival of cricket ties. “The decision is limited to the Champions League.”
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