DUBAI: International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive officer (CEO) Dave Richardson on Monday set the record straight in the face of oftentimes delusional reporting in the Indian media regarding India’s playing arch-rivals Pakistan in the upcoming World Cup in the UK.
India are scheduled to take on Pakistan in a group game in Manchester on June 16.
The tie has come under the cloud following demands to boycott Pakistan at ICC’s quadrennial mega event in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack in which 44 CRPF personnel were killed.
“For ICC events, all teams have signed a members’ participation agreement, which requires them to participate in all the matches of the tournament and (in case of) any unjustified non-compliance with that provision, the playing conditions will kick in and the points will be awarded accordingly (to the other team),” Richardson said.
With Pakistan objecting the move where Indian team wore camouflage caps during the third ODI against Australia in Ranchi recently as a mark of respect for the slain CRPF personnel, Richardson said the BCCI took prior permission from it and there was no politics involved.
“In this case, it was a one-off consent. It was granted subject to the message around the wearing of the caps simply being sympathy with the people, who had lost their lives in the (Pulwama) attack and in particular, to help them raise funds for the families of the people who had lost their lives,” IANS quotes the ICC CEO as having said.
“The ICC’s motto is clear. We don’t want to mix politics with sports,” he stated.
