PCB issues 'blanket ban' on playing in T20 World Championship of Legends
India twice forfeited its games against Pakistan during the WCL, including a semifinal, due to strained political relations between the two countries.
The organizers awarded both teams one point each after India forfeited a league game against Pakistan, a decision that didn't sit well with the PCB, which described it as 'tainted with hypocrisy and bias.'
Pakistan lost to South Africa by nine wickets in the final at Birmingham on Saturday. The WCL is a league of retired cricketers in which teams from West Indies, Australia and England also participated.
'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,' the PCB said in a statement.
WCL organizers acknowledged Pakistan's willingness to compete against India, but also said in one of its statements that it 'respected India's decision to withdraw' from games against Pakistan.
But the PCB took issue with the WCL narrative.
'The contents of the said (WCL) press releases highlight a duality where the narrative of 'peace through sport' is selectively applied and sporting events are held hostage to political expediency and narrow commercial interests,' the PCB said.
___
AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Stokes: I'm looking forward to getting to Australia
For months, England captain Ben Stokes has avoided talking about the Ashes in Australia as much as possible. But after a Test match - and series - for the ages against India, even he is prepared to mention it and firmly believes his side are battle hardened after the draining series that finished in a chaotic defeat at The Oval on Monday. More than 7000 runs were scored in the five Tests, but just when England were in need of fewer than 50 runs for the final five wickets, they lost. The last time that happened to them in a fourth innings while chasing victory was in 1902, against Australia at Old Trafford Stokes was England's most effective bowler in the series but exhausted himself into a shoulder injury that forced him to miss The Oval. Stokes praised his seam attack - deprived of himself, Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes, who came out to bat with a dislocated shoulder but did not have to face - for running India so close in the six-run defeat that squared a superb series. "When one of your bowlers goes down so early in the game, the role of the other seamers changes," Stokes said. A stunning end to the five-Test series as India clinch the thriller at The Oval 👏#WTC27 #ENGvIND 📝: — ICC (@ICC) August 4, 2025 "Even in the second innings, the heart and desire they showed was amazing. There were many what-ifs in the last five days, makes the game great, but all (coach) Brendon (McCullum) and I asked was to give it everything. (Josh) Tongue, (Gus) Atkinson and (Jamie) Overton showed it. "The way in which we've been able to perform throughout the series, I'm looking forward to getting to Australia and doing what we want to go out there and do." England and India both wasted earlier chances to win the fifth Test but after India took the final four wickets in a hectic 57 minutes of play on the final morning, Stokes accepted the conclusion was deserved. "The series as a whole has been pretty much toe-to-toe for 25 days. From a cricket fan's point of view, 2-2 is probably fair," he said. "Two very good teams who have thrown everything at each other and left everything out there. We obviously would have loved to get a series win but it wasn't meant to be. "We're bitterly disappointed we couldn't get over the line but it was another hard-fought game and both teams put so much energy and effort into the series, it's been an amazing one to be part of. "There's a little bit of frustration there as well but as a massive advocate of this format and for Test cricket as a whole, this has certainly been one of those series that could hopefully keep off the narrative around 'Test cricket is dying'." Stokes said he was looking forward to being well rested for the first Ashes test against Australia, in Perth, on November 21, but if he is fit, there are serious questions over who will join him in England's attack. Fast bowlers Jofra Archer and Mark Wood have both missed more Tests than they have played in recent years and the chances of Woakes being fit to bowl in less than four months must be remote. England have not won a Test in Australia since 2011, something David Warner will doubtless be reminding them of during his stint playing for London Spirit in The Hundred over the next few weeks. With agencies
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Shubman Gill: India's elegant captain
Shubman Gill will fly home to India with plenty of credit after a sensational campaign with the bat against England and a hard-earned series draw in his first outing as Test captain. The stylish batsman scored a remarkable 754 runs in five Tests, falling just 20 shy of Sunil Gavaskar's long-standing series record for an Indian cricketer. Gill, nicknamed "Prince", arrived in England in early June under intense pressure and with a modest Test average of 35. Not only was he succeeding Rohit Sharma as captain, he was also filling the number four slot vacated by the great Virat Kohli, who followed Rohit into Test retirement in May. But Gill has led from the front in spectacular style, combining an effortless elegance with an ability to go through the gears and innovate when necessary. The 25-year-old scored 147 in his first innings of the series at Headingley. During the second Test at Edgbaston he compiled a majestic 269 in the first innings and a turbo-charged 161 in the second innings as India won to level the series. After a quiet third Test at Lord's, won by the hosts, Gill returned to form in Manchester, grafting for 103 in 238 balls as the tourists battled successfully to draw the match and keep the series alive. An unnecessary first-innings run-out in the fifth Test at the Oval left him an agonising 31 runs short of Gavaskar's mark and he fell for just 11 in his final innings of the campaign. Gill grew into his role as captain during a series in which he faced several challenges, including the vocal presence of several senior players and the limited availability of paceman Jasprit Bumrah. The series was still alive heading into the final match in London but India appeared to be sliding inexorably towards defeat before England suffered a dramatic collapse, with fast bowler Mohammed Siraj doing most of the damage. The nervy six-run win turned a potential 3-1 series defeat into a 2-2 draw, dramatically changing the narrative, and Gill collected India's player-of-the-series award to add gloss to his tour. - Child prodigy - Born in Fazilka, near the border with Pakistan, Gill moved to Mohali aged eight to be closer to better cricket facilities. As a boy he wanted to know what Kohli's scores and achievements were when he was at an equivalent age. And when Kohli, a former India captain, first saw his eventual successor in the nets, he said he had not even had 10 percent of Gill's talent when the same age. Gill made his one-day international debut in 2019 but it was in his first Test series, in Australia in 2020/21, that he caught the eye, notably with a fluent 91 in India's thrilling series-clinching win at the Gabba. His first Test hundred came in Chattogram at the end of 2022 and a month later, aged 23, he became the youngest player to make a one-day international double-century, smashing 208 off 149 balls against New Zealand. But it has not all been plain-sailing for the prodigiously talented batsman, whose average dipped below 30 after a duck against England in Hyderabad last year. Rahul Dravid, the then India coach, resisted the temptation to drop Gill, who went on to make two centuries during a series India won 4-1. Gill, who has skippered India in T20 cricket and leads the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League, was the man chosen to replace Rohit as Test skipper despite his relative youth. He has passed his first major test, with elated India great Sachin Tendulkar posting on social media after Monday's thrilling success: "Series 2–2, Performance 10/10!" jw/jdg/nf
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
England v India: Three talking points
India will return home satisfied after levelling their five-Test series against England following a dramatic six-run win at the Oval as the home side rue a costly late collapse. The tourists came back from the dead in the deciding match, taking the last seven England wickets for just 66 runs to finish the series all-square at 2-2. India arguably won more sessions than they lost over the five Tests, though England were clinical in key moments before failing to press home their advantage in the final match. AFP Sport picks out three talking points from an enthralling series. Siraj steps up as India's main man Mohammed Siraj ultimately proved the difference-maker for India, taking three wickets for nine runs in a match-winning spell on the final morning at the Oval. The paceman was named player of the match for his figures of nine wickets for 190 runs. Over the course of the series, in which he played every game, Siraj bowled an energy-sapping 185.3 overs, finishing as the leading wicket-taker on either side, with 23 scalps. India made it clear before the series that pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah would only play three Tests and stayed true to their word, leaving the world's top-ranked bowler out of the final game. But Siraj ultimately made sure the tourists did not miss him at the Oval. "When I woke up today (Monday), I thought I could do it. I downloaded a picture from Google saying 'believe'," said Siraj. Gill shines with the bat as he learns captaincy ropes Shubman Gill has just embarked on one of the toughest jobs in world sport -- leading a team that carries with it the hopes and dreams of 1.4 billion people. He has been mesmerising with the bat in England, falling just short of overhauling Sunil Gavaskar's long-standing Indian record tally of 774 runs in a series. India's player-of-the-series has also grown into his role as skipper and oversaw a victory in the final Test when all had seemed lost. The 25-year-old, who replaced Rohit Sharma as captain in May, arrived in England with a modest Test average of 35. But he has led from the front to make 754 runs, including four centuries, finishing just 20 runs behind Gavaskar's mark, set against the West Indies in 1971. Gill combines elegant, classical batting with an ability to go through the gears when necessary. This was most eye-catchingly showcased at Edgbaston, where he scored a majestic 269 in the first innings and a turbo-charged 161 in the second. Gill's batting in England will live long in the memory and his reign as captain is off to a solid start. Stokes still England's magic man Ben Stokes sat out the fifth Test victory with a shoulder injury but has again demonstrated emphatically the value of a genuine all-rounder in the modern game. The England skipper, 34, consistently looked the most dangerous of the home side's bowlers, taking 17 wickets at 25 in 140 overs -- the most he has ever bowled in a series. He also played a crucial role with the bat, scoring 141 in England's mammoth total of 669 in the drawn fourth Test at Old Trafford. England's bowling at times lacked penetration during the series but Stokes still possesses the rare ability to change a game in the blink of an eye. The skipper has battled a succession of injuries but England will be desperate to have him on the plane to Australia for the Ashes, which start in November. Express paceman Jofra Archer made a welcome return to the Test arena against India but played just two matches and his workload is being managed carefully. Mark Wood, another bowler with genuine pace, has not played Test cricket for nearly 12 months and had knee surgery earlier this year. jw/jdg/ea
