BCCI To Consult Govt On Playing Cricket With Pak In World Cup

New Delhi: Amid the growing clamour to call off the Cricket World Cup match with Pakistan in June this year, top officials of BCCI on Friday said a final decision on the issue will be taken in consultation with the Government.

They decision, they said, may not come any sooner as world cup is more than three months away.

The Committee of Administrators (CoA) of the Board of Control For Cricket in India, which met here, also decided to consult Team India about boycotting the match with Pakistan.

Reports suggested BCCI CEO Rahul Johri is expected to raise the matter with the International Cricket Council (ICC) at its meeting on February 26.

“16th June (India vs Pakistan match in World Cup) is very far away. We will take a call on that much later and in consultations with the government,” BCCI’s CoA Vinod Rai told reporters after the meeting.

“We are expressing two concerns to the ICC. We will ask for more protection for players during the World Cup and we will tell cricketing nations to severe ties with any nation that is a terrorist hub,” he added.

The BCCI will also write to ICC, saying that no bilateral ties should be organised with nations that are sponsoring terrorism, without directly naming Pakistan.

On the other hand, ESPNCricinfo has reported that BCCI has prepared a draft letter asking the ICC to ban Pakistan from participating in the upcoming World Cup.

Some reports suggested that ICC might down any decision coming from the Indian side vis-a-vis Pakistan.

At the meeting on Friday, BCCI decided to cancel the IPL opening ceremony and the money will be donated to the family of martyrs who died in the Pulwama attack.