Priyanka Chaturvedi Questions BCCI's Silence on T20 World Cup Match Against Pakistan
On Wednesday, Priyanka Chaturvedi, a Rajya Sabha MP and leader of Shiv Sena (UBT), expressed her concerns regarding the silence of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the government about the T20 World Cup match against Pakistan. Speaking to a news media outlet in New Delhi, Chaturvedi stated, "First and foremost, whether or not Pakistan is taking a U-turn, my question is directed solely at the BCCI. Why were we looking towards the PCB and ICC to determine if the match should proceed? Given their stance of not playing, shouldn't we have firmly stated that we do not wish to play against this terrorist nation?"
Earlier on Monday, the Pakistani government instructed its national cricket team to participate in the scheduled match against India, the reigning champions, on February 15 during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup. According to a statement from the Pakistani government, this decision followed a briefing from PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif regarding high-level discussions among the PCB, the International Cricket Council (ICC), and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
Chaturvedi further questioned, "Why is our BCCI, the most powerful, wealthiest, and strongest organization, silent? Why are they looking to the PCB to decide whether the match will take place? We should assert that we do not want to play against those who spread terror in our country." Previously, Pakistan had decided to boycott a group stage T20 World Cup match against India in support of Bangladesh. This decision came after the ICC rejected Bangladesh's request to host matches outside India due to security concerns.
Scotland was included in this T20 World Cup in place of Bangladesh after the ICC did not accept their request to play all their matches outside India. This decision followed the removal of fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team, which was taken after concerns were raised by the BCCI regarding the atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh.