India vs Pakistan matches in ICC events cancelled! Indian diplomat confirms BCCI's stance

Syed Akbaruddin, who served as India's permanent representative to the United Nations, criticized Pakistan for supporting terrorism on Indian soil.

The former diplomat said that India have taken a firm stance by choosing not to engage in matches with Pakistan, despite cricket being a passion for Indians.

In response to the Pahalgam massacre, where at least 26 people lost their lives on April 22, the Indian armed forces launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of Wednesday, May 7. The military operation targeted nine terror-related locations across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

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We Are Now Refusing to Play Cricket with Pakistan - Syed Akbaruddin

Speaking to the Indian diaspora in Johannesburg on Tuesday, Syed Akbaruddin said that India refused to play against apartheid-era South Africa and added that a similar stance is now being taken against Pakistan. His remarks also raised the possibility of boycotting ICC events involving Pakistan.

"Cricket is a passion for all of us. The only country before now that we refused to play was apartheid South Africa. I am raising this because we are now refusing to play cricket with another country," Akbaruddin said.

#WATCH | Johannesburg, South Africa | "Cricket is a passion for all of us. The only country before now that we refused to play was apartheid South Africa. I am raising this because we are now refusing to play cricket with another country. You need to understand the depth of our… pic.twitter.com/vqeoFmWDMn

— ANI (@ANI) May 28, 2025

South Africa was banned from international cricket in 1970 by the International Cricket Council (ICC). However, the boycott ended in 1991 when India invited the South African cricket team for an ODI series. Following that, India toured South Africa for both Test and ODI matches in late 1992.

We See This as an Attempt to Undermine… - Syed Akbaruddin

Syed Akbaruddin said that India’s refusal to engage with Pakistan goes beyond just a reaction to terrorism. He emphasized that recent terror attacks not only caused loss of lives but were also attempts to fracture India’s social unity and disrupt its economic progress.

"You need to understand the depth of our engagement and our revulsion at why we do this. Yes, this terrorist act led to the loss of a large number of lives, but it was much more. We see this as an act of undermining our social cohesion," Akbaruddin added.

"We are a pluralistic country with diversity as our signature, yet we saw an attempt to undermine that social consensus. More importantly, we see this as an attempt to undermine our economic momentum. India and Pakistan both started together as Midnight's Children. Our economy is about ten times or more than their economy. The economy of Maharashtra is perhaps larger than the economy of Pakistan."

India and Pakistan Last Faced Off in the 2025 Champions Trophy in Dubai

India and Pakistan have been playing their cricket encounters only in ICC events and multinational tournaments like the Asia Cup in recent years. Their most recent match took place during the 2025 Champions Trophy in Dubai.

The last bilateral series between the two teams was held in 2012-13 in India; since then, they have only faced off in India or at neutral venues. India last toured Pakistan in 2008 for the Asia Cup.

For the 2025 Champions Trophy, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the government opted not to travel to Pakistan. They played their matches, including the game against Pakistan, in Dubai. India won that match by six wickets and went on to claim the tournament title.

Also read: Watch: Jitesh Sharma recreates Avesh Khan’s Helmet Throw after RCB's Top 2. Entry