Birmingham [UK], July 21 : The World Champions of Legends (WCL) sources on Monday informed that the organisers of the competition have conveyed to England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) that they were unable to conduct the match and there is no fault of the Indian team in this.
Before the clash, WCL released a statement and confirmed that the India-Pakistan fixture at Edgbaston in Birmingham had been scrapped. According to various reports, several former Indian stars refused to participate in the fixture.
The denial of Indian players to feature against Pakistan stems from the heinous terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam on April 22. Following the attack, the relationship between India and Pakistan slumped and hit a new low.
According to WCL sources, the Pakistan Champions side is not willing to share points with their arch-rivals, the India Champions, as the match between the two sides was called off due to the Indian players pulling out of the fixture.
Speaking about the clash, WCL sources told ANI, "WCL have conveyed to England and Wales Cricket Board that they, as organisers, were not able to conduct this match. The India Champions team are not at fault. Pakistan Champions team are not willing to share points because they are saying that it is India who backed out, not them."
Several Indian players like Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan also informed the media that they would not be playing the India-Pakistan game. Sources also say some other players in the India line-up have also taken a similar stance.
In a post on X, Dhawan shared an email written to the tournament orgainsers where he said that the decision to not play Pakistan had been communicated to the organisers on May 11. The email said that the decision to not play Pakistan was taken in consideration of the current geo-political situation.
In his post Dhawan said, "Jo kadam 11 May ko liya, uspe aaj bhi waise hi khada hoon. Mera desh mere liye sab kuch hai, aur desh se badhkar kuch nahi hota. (I stand by the decision I took on May 11. My country is everything for me and nothing is bigger than the country)"
In the previous edition of the WCL, India Champions trounced Pakistan to secure a five-wicket victory in the final. India gunned down a 157-run target with a blistering batting display to lift the title.
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