NEW DELHI: Former wicketkeeper-batter Rashid Latif shared his perspective on the ongoing situation involving India and Pakistan in cricket.
Latif expressed that if he had the authority, he would prevent Pakistan from playing against India in any tournament.
He also suggested that the International Cricket Council (ICC) should refrain from granting hosting rights for global events to either country until their issues are resolved.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has declined to send its team to Pakistan for the upcoming Champions Trophy.
This has led to speculations about the tournament potentially being moved out of Pakistan.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reached out to the ICC, requesting written confirmation from the BCCI regarding India’s inability to participate in the tournament in Pakistan.
“There’s a big possibility that Pakistan can stop playing cricket against India. Had I been in power, then, yes, I may have taken this strong step. I would not blame anyone for this. If you don’t want to play (in Pakistan), then don’t play against us (at all),” Latif, known for his plain speak, told PTI Videos.
Latif firmly believes that if he were in a position of power, he would have taken a decisive stance and challenged the BCCI’s position.
“If I would have been there, I would have taken this decision, and fought against the BCCI.”
Latif proposed that the ICC should refrain from awarding major tournaments to both India and Pakistan until their bilateral issues are resolved.
“In my opinion, ICC should withhold the hosting rights for both countries until these issues between them are resolved; until their problems are settled,” said the former wicketkeeper-batter who played 37 Tests and 166 ODIs.
Latif highlighted instances where the ICC imposed bans on Sri Lanka in 2023 and Zimbabwe in 2019 due to alleged political interference in cricket administration. He questioned the ICC’s seemingly lenient approach towards India and Pakistan.
“Why aren’t India and Pakistan getting banned? Because, ICC has a lot of stake on them,” he said.
Latif expressed his disapproval of the BCCI’s stance on security concerns for the Indian team in Pakistan.
He emphasized that the ICC’s security team had assessed Pakistan and deemed it safe for the tournament.
“This is the first time, I would say, the BCCI is at fault. The reason they are stating is very weak. It has to be in writing that the BCCI and the Indian cricket team is feeling threatened.
“The ICC security team came here and gave the green light for the tournament. If you had issues, you could have reported to them,” he said.
When asked about the possibility of Pakistan withdrawing from the Champions Trophy if it were to be moved to a different location, Latif stated that there was no official confirmation on the matter.
“Nobody has seen it on paper. It has to be written down on a piece of paper. We had a word with the PCB (and) they said they have sent an e-mail to the Pakistan government regarding this. This is a serious legal issue, nobody is willing to give it in writing.”
Latif expressed confidence that Pakistan cricket’s progress would not be hindered by the lack of matches against India.
“We didn’t play at home for 12 long years. What could be more painful than that? Pakistan will get the 34 million dollars in every eight-year time (from ICC), whether they play India or not. The boards that are rich will suffer losses, not a board like PCB that doesn’t have the money.”
“Pakistan can survive playing bilateral series even if they don’t play major ICC tournaments.”
