Follow UsAfter the forfeiture fiasco in the World Championship of Legends (WCL), the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decided that they would no longer allow its players to be part of the tournament any more. In the recently concluded tournament, the Indian team decided to forfeit their matches against Pakistan, both at the league stage and in the semi-final.
PCB stated that the organisers were 'biased' to award equal points, even when it was the Indian side who forfeited the game. It also criticised the fact that players chose to forfeit matches due to political and sponsorship reasons.
“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,” a press release by the board read.
Talking about the forfeiting of the game by India, PCB, in a statement as quoted by ESPNcricinfo, said, "The cancellation was not based on cricketing merit but on appeasing a specific nationalistic narrative. This sends an unacceptable message to the international sporting community.”
"However, we cannot allow our players to be part of events where the spirit of the game is overshadowed by skewed politics that undermines the very essence of sportsmanship and the gentleman's game,” it further added.
The WCL issued an apology letter after cancelling the India-Pakistan game. The PCB called the apology a farce.
"The WCL's apology for 'hurting the sentiments', whilst being farcical, inadvertently acknowledges that the cancellation was not based on cricketing merit, but rather on succumbing to a specific nationalistic narrative," it said in the statement.