Pakistan receive no support from other boards on boycotting India:PCB ‘isolated’ in cricket world with looming risk of ICC sanctions

Pakistan have reportedly received no support from other cricket boards on their decision to boycott India in the T20 World Cup. The Government of Pakistan had earlier cleared Pakistan to compete in the T20 World Cup but not play against India, on 15 February. This comes after Pakistan had criticised the ICC’s decision to remove Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to travel to India due to security concerns. India and Pakistan are placed in Group A alongside the USA, the Netherlands and Namibia. Pakistan have no ‘locus standi’ According to a report in NDTV, Pakistan have received no support from any other cricket board on their decision to boycott the match against India. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi, has reached out to other cricket boards, but his efforts have gone in vain. The report further adds that other cricket boards have informed the PCB that it had no ‘locus standi’ (or no legal right to interfere) in Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup venue controversy, which dominated headlines for a number of weeks. Interestingly, Bangladesh accepted ICC’s decision to replace them with Scotland in the T20 World Cup, which put an end to the venue controversy. Pakistan, however, added a fresh angle to the controversy by first shedding uncertainty on their participation in the T20 World Cup and later announcing their decision to boycott the match. Pakistan yet to formally inform ICC about boycotting India match Pakistan, however, are yet to formally inform the ICC about boycotting their match against India. It remains unclear as to when the PCB officially communicate their decision to the ICC on boycotting the match against India. The apex body had, in a statement, announced that this decision could have consequences for cricket in its own country and world cricket at large. The ICC also said that it expected the PCB to ‘explore a mutually acceptable resolution’. “The ICC hopes that the PCB will consider the significant and long-term implications for cricket in its own country as this is likely to impact the global cricket ecosystem, which it is itself a member and beneficiary of,” the ICC said in a statement. PCB facing threat of legal action from broadcasters While Pakistan face a looming threat of sanctions from the ICC for deciding to boycott the match against India, they are also likely to be hit with legal action from the broadcasters JioStar for this decision to boycott India. “If Pakistan doesn’t relent and play against India, not only will they face financial penalties, perhaps a lawsuit from broadcasters, but also any efforts to go to the ICC Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) are likely to fail,” a PCB source, quoted by PTI, said. “When the ICC signed its four-year deal with the broadcaster for all ICC events, the contract included Pakistan and India matches, based on which the broadcaster made the payments to the ICC,” another source said, adding, “So the broadcaster will be within its rights to take the PCB and ICC to court over a major breach of the contract.”