Why ICC Will Not Boycott Pakistan

Even as the clamour for the BCCI led by the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators to take actions has grown in the days after the Pulwama attack on the CRPF convoy, the BCCI had remained a largely mute spectator...

- Sreelata S. Yellamrazu

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), in a plausible attempt to subvert the topic, has claimed to call upon the International Cricket Council (ICC) with a view to having a wider ban on playing Pakistan. However, while the point may be stated on the table, there is a reason why the ICC cannot and will not ban Pakistan altogether.

Even as the clamour for the BCCI led by the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators to take actions has grown in the days after the Pulwama attack on the CRPF convoy, the BCCI had remained a largely mute spectator, even rendering the voices of the current crop of cricketers virtually redundant by what is being perceived as an unwritten gag. With players toying the line that they will play Pakistan in accordance with the stance taken by the BCCI and in turn, the BCCI claiming to await the Indian government directive in the matter, the matter has been a standoff although the issue about India boycotting Pakistan in cricket and cutting off sporting ties altogether has remained one of the central issues in the hearts and minds of the Indians still mourning the loss of personnel.