BCCI president Anurag Thakur has hinted that India may opt to pull out of the ICC Champions Trophy slated to be held in England in June next year, if it is pitted against Pakistan.
Thakur said that the Board will soon inform the ICC that it can’t play against Pakistan in the tournament and that it would be better to place both the teams in different pools to avoid any spoilsport on the last moment.
“At the recent held Emergent Working Committee meet, many members raised concerns whether in the next Champions Trophy India wants to play Pakistan, whether the atmosphere will be right to play against them, should India play them… I will be pleased to inform that majority of the members said that please inform ICC well in advance that don’t blame India at the last moment if we pull out of the tournament. Kindly convey to the ICC, India may not play against Pakistan,” he told a private news channel last night.
“If they can put us in different pools… I will raise this issue in Cape Town. This may help ICC so that no matches are cancelled. It is now up to them what decision the ICC, Shashank Manohar takes,” he added.
Thakur further maintained that to have a series with Pakistan, “you need to have a right atmosphere”.
“There could be compulsion where you have to play in multinational tournament like in World Cup… but let me tell you, history says that the US in 1980, Russia in 1984 pulled out of Olympics to standby their soldiers, their country. What stops India? What stops Indians?” he said.
The eighth edition of ICC Champions Trophy is scheduled to be held in England and Wales between 1 and 18 June 2017. The ICC has divided the eight teams in two groups.
While Australia, Bangladesh, England and New Zealand are in Group A, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and South Africa are in Group B. As per the schedule, India will go in as defending champions and will open their campaign against Pakistan on June 4.
India and Pakistan last played an ODI during the World Cup last year. The two also clashed at the Asia Cup T20 and the World T20, with India emerging victorious on all three occasions.
Thakur also made it clear that there is no question of playing bilateral series with Pakistan.
“There is no plan. Nothing is more important than nation… you are bound to look into those issues what the nation is looking at. Nothing is more imp than your nation… Let me assure the nation then for us, nation first, India first and it will always remain first,” he said.
India have not played bilateral cricket with Pakistan since 2012 when the arch-rivals clashed in a short bilateral series. Pakistan cricketers have also not been allowed to participate in the cash-rich Indian Premier League since 2009. Last year, there were talks of a short bilateral series but plans were shelved after the governments of both sides failed to come to a conclusion on the venue.
