India-Pakistan Game In World Cup To Be Cancelled? ICC Answers

ICC CEO David Richardson has finally broken his silence on the much-talked about topic regarding the potential cancellation of the ICC World Cup clash between India and Pakistan.

The calls to boycott the game Pakistan in the upcoming World Cup is gathering steam with every passing moment. While the Indian public has been hell bent to see the BCCI take the decision and boycott Pakistan, several big names from the cricketing fraternity has also joined in. The likes of Harbhajan Singh, former BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel as well as IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla in favour of boycotting Pakistan, the matter has taken a serious form.

The latest development comes in the wake of the ghastly Pulwama attack. Over 40 Indian paramilitary troops were martyred in the attack when a suicide bomber from the Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a CRPF bus in Pulwama district on Thursday.

India are set to lock horns against their arch-rivals on June 16 in Manchester. However, with the public demanding the boycott of the game, there are huge doubts over whether the game will go ahead. Well, it looks like the BCCI has not taken a final decision on it as of now which means the clash is likely to be held.

David Richardson confirmed that neither BCCI nor PCB has given any indication about their intention to cancel the game.  The ICC’s quarterly meetings take place in Dubai next week, where representatives from both boards will have a chance to discuss the matter.

“We haven’t written to the boards as yet,” Richardson told ESPNcricinfo. “Our thoughts are with the people that were impacted by the incident. And we are monitoring the situation with our members including the BCCI and PCB. Certainly there are no indications any of the matches, including the Pakistan-India match, will not be played as planned at the World Cup. But as I say we will continue to monitor the situation.”

The 10-team tournament gets underway on May 30 with hosts England taking on South Africa in the opener. India will open their account on June 5 against South Africa.