ICC should act: Gavaskar, Harbhajan slam Pakistan’s refusal to play India

Sunil Gavaskar and Harbhajan Singh have urged the ICC to take legal action against Pakistan for boycotting its T20 World Cup match against India. Gavaskar predicted a possible U-turn, while Harbhajan said the decision could impact the entire tournament

New Delhi: Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar foresees Pakistan making a “U-turn” but, regardless of that, he called on the ICC to take legal action against the country for boycotting its T20 World Cup match against India on February 15.

Pakistan’s government decided against granting permission to its cricket team to play the high-profile game in Colombo. Though no official reason has been given, it is being widely seen as a gesture of solidarity with Bangladesh. Bangladesh were ousted from the World Cup after refusing to play their matches in India, citing security concerns.

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“I think in the next four or five days, when reactions start pouring in from across the world and even from their former players, there is a possibility that Pakistan will change their stance,” Gavaskar said on India Today.

The tournament gets underway on February 7 and Pakistan are due to play all their games in Sri Lanka as part of an agreement with the BCCI and ICC.

“What’s new in this? We all know Pakistan cricketers retire and then, four days later, take back their retirement, saying ‘our fans told us to play more’. This might happen again,” Gavaskar remarked.
“Pakistan players have set examples. They keep coming back from retirement. So something like that might happen before the 15th,” he added.

Both Gavaskar and Harbhajan said ICC would be justified in acting against Pakistan. Among the available options, the world body could dock Pakistan’s World Test Championship points, make them stagnant in ICC rankings, and prompt top member nations to refuse to travel there.

“If Pakistan does not have a valid reason to justify withdrawing from the big match against India, or if they cannot show grounds for breaching the contract, then action will be taken by the ICC Board,” Gavaskar said.

“I don’t know what action they will take, but I think there are so many other boards involved, so it’s not just going to be one person’s decision. However, it should be something that ensures no other team in the future also considers doing that. The ICC will probably take legal action against Pakistan over the refusal to play against India, but what the result of such an action would be, I can’t say,” he added.

Former India off-spinner Harbhajan, speaking on his YouTube channel, said the ICC should not spare Pakistan for the last-minute decision.

“They didn’t have a problem earlier. They’ve now stepped into what was Bangladesh’s issue. This decision can affect the ICC, so the ICC has every right to take legal action. It can impact the entire tournament,” he said.