ICC sources have told The Indian Express hat if Pakistan boycotts the T20 world cup on and decides not to participate in the tournament, the ICC could impose sanctions. (AP)
Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has opposed any boycott of a potential India-Pakistan match, urging Pakistan to play the game while wearing black armbands as a form of protest.
“Pakistan should not boycott, but wear black arm band and play India game,” Basit said on his YouTube channel BasitAliShow. He said that cricket is not a “gentleman’s game” and had become increasingly political.
He also questioned why any boycott would wait until a senior World Cup clash, saying, “Why wait for Feb 15 India vs Pakistan game at the T20 World Cup? If you have to boycott, do it on Feb 1st Pakistan vs India U-19 World Cup game.”
Basit said his Indian friends had also suggested that Pakistan should “fire your first punch at the U-19 World Cup” rather than at the men’s event. He warned that previous decisions, including removing Bangladesh from a World Cup, had already damaged the sport, saying the side effects were “being felt now and will linger long.”
Citing Australia’s past World Cup forfeit against Sri Lanka, Basit said Pakistan could legally forfeit a match but questioned the consequences, particularly for broadcasters.
“Do it in the U-19 World Cup, you will get to know the effect,” he said, while stressing that such steps would not be good for cricket. Basit warned that if Pakistan boycotted the match, the World Cup itself could be affected, saying even removing Pakistan would spoil the tournament’s competitiveness and appeal.
He appealed to PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, Pakistan’s prime minister and ICC official Jay Shah to take decisions “that don’t damage cricket.”
ICC sources have told The Indian Express hat if Pakistan boycotts the T20 world cup on and decides not to participate in the tournament, the ICC could impose sanctions. These may include suspension of all bilateral series, denial of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for foreign players in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), and exclusion from the Asia Cup.
“If Pakistan also decides not to play the T20 World Cup, the ICC will impose a series of sanctions, including no bilateral series with any international team, no NOC for foreign players in PSL, and no Asia Cup participation,” a source had told this newspaper.
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