The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a complete ban on Pakistani player’ participation in any future editions of the World Championship of Legends (WCL), citing what it called was the “hypocrisy, bias, and political interference” in the tournament’s handling of matches involving Pakistan.

 

The decision was made during the 79th Board of Governors (BoG) meeting held virtually under the chairmanship of Mohsin Naqvi.

 

In an official statement, the PCB strongly condemned WCL’s “appalling conduct” in awarding points to a team that “willfully forfeited” a match and criticised the “hypocritical and biased” language used in press releases regarding the cancellation of Pakistan versus India fixtures.

 

“The contents of the said press release 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.

 

Reaffirming its longstanding position, the board stated, “The PCB has always advocated for the separation of sports and politics. Cricket should serve as a platform for goodwill, healthy competition and mutual respect.”

 

The statement also described WCL’s apology for “hurting sentiments” as “farcical” and an indirect admission that the match cancellations were driven by nationalist narratives rather than sporting merit.

 

“This bias masquerading as sensitivity sends an unacceptable message to the international sporting community,” the board added.

 

Citing external pressure and violations of neutrality and fair play, the PCB concluded that it could no longer allow its players to participate in events where such fundamental principles were compromised.

 

“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 board stated.