In the wake of Pulwama terror attack, there were plenty of voices which asked the BCCI to sever all cricketing ties with Pakistan. India is slated to play Pakistan in the upcoming World Cup, and after the outcry, the BCCI too had prepared a dossier in order to convince the ICC to clip all ties with a country which harbours terrorists.
However, after the quarterly ICC meeting, the global body has made it clear that they are in no position to sever cricketing ties with any body and that the decision rests solely on the respective governments.
'The BCCI knew it all along but still took a chance'
"There was no chance that anything like that would have happened. The ICC chairman made it clear that the decision to ostracize a nation is taken at the government level and ICC had no rule. The BCCI knew it all along but still took a chance," a BCCI official was as quoted by PTI on conditions of anonymity.
The issue came up during Saturday's ICC board meeting chaired by chairman Shashank Manohar and although Pakistan was not specifically mentioned in the meet, it has been learnt that not much time was devoted to the issue.
"So many players from member nations play the Pakistan Super League and they would have never entertained such a request. Yes, security was a concern and it had been duly addressed," the Board official added.
ICC CEO Dave Richardson has reiterated his comments on security and says that this will be of paramount importance at all times.
"As you would expect for a global sporting event, the ICC, in partnership with the ECB has a robust security plan in place for the Men's Cricket World Cup," he said at the conclusion of the meetings in Dubai. "We work closely with the authorities in our host countries to ensure that the safety of players, officials and fans is a priority," Richardson said.
India is slated to play their World Cup match against Pakistan in Manchester on June 16, and BCCI had put forth a request about security arrangements at the tournament.
