The drama surrounding the T20 World Cup is nowhere close to its end. A week removed from Bangladesh’s ouster from the tournament for refusing to travel to India, Pakistan have now jumped into the mix, giving the organisers a massive headache. On Sunday evening, the Government of Pakistan announced that the senior team would participate in the 20-team tournament but would ‘not take the field’ against arch-rival India on February 15 in Colombo.
While no exact reason was given, it is believed that the decision was taken because Pakistan want to express solidarity with Bangladesh. After the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) refusal to play their T20 World Cup matches in India due to security concerns, the ICC replaced them with Scotland in Group C, ruffling feathers in Pakistan. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief, Mohsin Naqvi, maintained that Bangladesh were treated “unfairly”.
The ICC has already issued a statement, warning Pakistan of severe consequences if it does not reconsider its decision. With the start of the World Cup less than a week away, the standoff is heating up, and amid the ongoing escalation, The Hindustan Times Digital caught up with former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif, who spoke about the latest call and argued in favour of the decision, saying ICC has a lot of pondering to do. The 57-year-old also reckons that if Pakistan don’t budge from their stance, the call to boycott the India match could change the power dynamics within the sport.
Excerpts:
How do you view this call to boycott the India T20 World Cup match with just one week to go in the tournament?
I think they made this decision last week itself. The timing is very important. They consciously delayed the announcement. The T20 World Cup is just one week away. The political scenario has changed completely in Southeast Asia. The Bangladesh matter was handled poorly by the ICC. There were double standards. And hence, Pakistan decided to boycott the India game. We all know the decision hasn’t come from the PCB; it’s been taken by the government. Let’s see how things pan out from here. Only time will tell.
Just hours after the Pakistan government’s decision, the ICC issued its own statement, warning the PCB of potential consequences. How do you see the statement of the apex body?
Generally, the ICC doesn’t react this soon. On Sunday, the office is closed, and if they specifically asked for it to be opened just to release a statement, it shows the ICC has clearly panicked. ICC will receive a major dent. You need to understand that the PCB has not attacked the BCCI or India; rather, it has attacked the ICC directly. Pakistan ICC se jo paisa leta hai wo aate me namak ke barabar hai. (Pakistan’s share of revenue from the ICC is nothing but peanuts.) Pakistan isn’t valued within the ICC, and everyone knows that.
Pakistan have been facing losses for the last few years. The rest of the boards earn significantly more than them. There is no equality, and this move can restore normalcy to Pakistan. India have not been touring Pakistan citing security concerns, but when Bangladesh raised the same issue, the ICC didn’t accept. ICC should not work like this. The ICC should work to improve the game in the long run. And as for revenue, don’t give us anything if you want to operate like this. What Pakistan is currently getting is nothing.
Pakistan might be distributing money everywhere, but you are not giving it to the real stakeholders. Now we will know how the ICC really functions and what it decides.
How severely will the broadcasters be impacted by this call? We all know that the contests between India and Pakistan are a major cash cow
The broadcasters withdraw in this case, so the entire burden will come on the ICC. The decision not to play against India will obviously impact everyone involved, especially the broadcasters. If Pakistan had taken this call, it would not have broken a sweat over the losses it might incur. It is up to the ICC to decide what to do going forward.
In the Asia Cup, three matches were played on Sunday. The people in India wanted a boycott so the broadcasters would have put their foot down there as well; hence we saw the three games going ahead.
Do you think ICC would be willing to make Pakistan understand? And more importantly, do you think a U-turn is possible from the Pakistan standpoint?
There should be negotiation. What happened with Bangladesh changed the entire political situation. Earlier, Bangladesh was with India, and now it is with Pakistan. Everyone should sit across the same table and have a conversation. If they are willing to talk and resolve matters, then the game can be saved. India might not be as severely hit if ties with the other two are hampered, but Bangladesh would suffer a massive blow. There is a massive cricket following in these three countries. The game exists because of us, so if two countries (Pakistan and Bangladesh) make their way out, both the ICC and the ACC would be affected.
I don’t think there will be a U-turn, but the negotiations can take place. Pakistan might have taken this call, but they should be willing to go to the table to talk.
Do you foresee the ICC enforcing sanctions on the PCB if the team doesn’t take the field against India?
Sanction lagana hai toh laga de Pakistan pe. (If they want to do it, then do it.) Pakistan has made the decision, so they would have thought about what could happen. If ICC have that many problems against Pakistan, then why do they include them? The revenue is zero. I don’t think sanctions would change anything. Pakistan ko nuksaan jo hoga, wo hoga, but uss se bada ICC ko hoga. (The ICC would suffer more losses than Pakistan.) ICC would be impacted by more than 75 per cent.
The ICC funds Italy, Germany, Nigeria, Brazil and other teams. How will they do that going ahead? It’s a white collar crime, so it will also stop.
Lastly, I have to ask you about Mohsin Naqvi, the cricket administrator. How do you see his tenure so far? Is the T20 World Cup game boycott the make or break decision for him?
Everyone knows that I have been a critic of Naqvi sahab. But this decision has changed my entire feelings. We needed this decision. This call was taken because Mr. Naqvi is himself in the government; he holds the power to hold high-level talks with our PM, Shehbaz Sharif. Earlier, Pakistan didn’t use to take such calls. Naqvi has a habit of making prompt decisions. He will now receive a major boost in both Pakistan and world cricket.
England, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand make money by playing bilateral series against India, hence they never spoke up against the BCCI. But they would now be forced to support Pakistan in the next ICC meeting and the credit for this goes to Mohsin Naqvi.
