The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a blanket ban on all future participation in the World Championship of Legends (WCL), accusing the tournament organizers of hypocrisy and biased conduct.
The decision came following the Board of Governors’ (BoG) 79th meeting, held virtually on Sunday under the chairmanship of PCB head Mohsin Naqvi.
In a strongly worded statement, the PCB expressed “considerable disappointment” over the WCL’s decision to award points to a team that willfully forfeited a match, while also taking exception to what it called the “hypocritical and biased” language in WCL press releases, particularly surrounding the cancellation of high-profile Pakistan vs India legends matches.
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“The contents of the said press releases highlight a duality where the narrative of ‘peace through sport’ is selectively applied,” the PCB stated. “Sporting events are being held hostage to political expediency and narrow commercial interests.”
It is noteworthy that on July 20, India Champions refused to play against Pakistan in the group stage match of the tournament, which led to the match’s cancellation. The WCL management subsequently awarded shared points to both teams, a decision that eventually helped India qualify for the semi-final — only for them to again decline to play, allowing Pakistan to progress to the final.
The governing body condemned the tournament’s apparent disregard for the principle of sporting neutrality, calling the WCL’s justification for the cancellation “far removed from cricketing merit.”
“The WCL’s apology for ‘hurting sentiments’, whilst being farcical, inadvertently acknowledges that the cancellation was not based on sporting grounds but rather on succumbing to a specific nationalistic narrative,” the statement read. “This bias, masquerading as sensitivity, sends an unacceptable message to the international sporting community.”
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Emphasizing its long-standing stance on keeping sports and politics separate, the PCB said it found it “deeply concerning” that even an event featuring retired, legendary players was now being influenced by external pressures.
“Our unwavering belief is that cricket, like other international sports, should serve as a platform for goodwill, healthy competition, and mutual respect,” the board reiterated. “For a tournament involving legendary players to be dictated by sentiments that undermine this fundamental principle is not only regrettable but deeply concerning.”
In light of what it described as “a clear and intolerable pattern of external influence” and “a disregard for fair play,” the PCB said it could no longer allow its players to participate in the WCL or any future editions of the tournament.
“The PCB can no longer condone participation in an event where the fundamental principles of fair play and unbiased administration are compromised by external pressures,” the statement added.
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Despite its criticism of the WCL, the PCB reaffirmed its commitment to promoting cricket globally and fostering healthy rivalries.
“We remain committed to promoting cricket as a vehicle for unity and sportsmanship,” the statement concluded. “However, we cannot allow our players to be part of events where the spirit of the game is overshadowed by skewed politics that undermine the gentleman’s game.”
The virtual BoG meeting was attended by Sumair Ahmed Syed, Salman Naseer, Zaheer Abbas, Zahid Akhtar Zaman, Sajjad Ali Khokhar, Zafarullah Jadgal, Tanveer Ahmed, Tariq Sarwar, Muhammad Ismail Qureshi, Anwaar Ahmad Khan, Adnan Malik, Usman Wahla (special invitee), and Mir Hassan Naqvi.
