MUMBAI: Carefully crafted statements coming forth from the corridors of power in the BCCI and International Cricket Council make one thing clear. That hyper-ventilating television news anchors on India’s air waves WILL NOT decide whether India plays or does not play Pakistan in the upcoming World Cup, which kicks off May 30 in the UK.
And neither will the likes of soon to retire cricketer Harbhajan Singh – who in any case is not in the picture as far as Team India is concerned and therefore can freely talk nonsense.
While speculation has been rife around the fate of the India-Pakistan match in the tournament owing to the Pulwama terror attack, which has the imprematur of the Pakistani deep state written all over it, ICC chief executive Dave Richardson clarified that there “no indication” that any of the matches will not go ahead as planned.
However, it is expected that the issue of the India-Pakistan World Cup clash will come up for discussion during the ICC’s quarterly meeting in Dubai from February 27 to March 2.
“Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by this terrible incident and we will be monitoring the situation with our members,” Richardson is quoted as saying by PTI. “There is no indication that any (of the) matches at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup will not go ahead as planned.”
“Sport, in particular, cricket, has the wonderful ability to bring people together and unite communities and we will work with our members on that basis,” he said.
On Monday, 2011 World Cup winner Harbhajan Singh, while pandering to the galleries, said that India should refuse to play against Pakistan. Singh further argued that India were strong enough to win the World Cup even if they decide to forfeit the match against Pakistan in Manchester on June 16.
“India should not play Pakistan in the World Cup. India are powerful enough to win the World Cup without having to play Pakistan,” Singh told ‘Aaj Tak’ news channel.
Maybe true, but while expressing righteous outrage, the off-spinner lost track of the larger matter that giving arch enemy Pakistan free points might also potentially provide the impetus for the tournament’s dark horses to go further and qualify for the knockout stages of world cricket’s most prestigious tournament.
BCCI officials said as much, telling newswire PTI they were doubtful that India would refuse to play Pakistan in the tournament.
“Harbhajan had shared his point of view but he didn’t clarify what happens if we are again pitted against them in semi-final or suppose final. Does that mean that we will be forfeiting World Cup semi-final or final? So we are all talking about hypothetical situations,” a senior BCCI official was quoted as saying. “For the record, India played Pakistan in a World Cup game in England in 1999 edition when Kargil War was at its peak.”
