The controversy over Kashmir Premier League is creating a battle between the Board of Control and Pakistan Cricket Board. On Saturday, the PCB released a statement slamming BCCI’s alleged warning to several cricket boards against allowing their former players to take part in the tournament. The PCB said they would take up the matter with the ICC, calling BCCI’s actions against the spirit of the game.
Earlier on Saturday, former South African player Gibbs took to Twitter to slam the BCCI for interfering by bringing in their ‘political agenda’. News Agency ANI quoted an unnamed BCCI official as responding on their behalf, saying the board was well within its rights to do so.
“While one can neither confirm or deny the veracity of the statement made by a former player who has figured in a CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) investigation into match-fixing earlier, the PCB must understand that even if Gibbs’s statement is assumed to be true, the BCCI would be well within their rights to take decisions with respect to the cricketing ecosystem in India.
“The fact that the Indian cricketing ecosystem is the most sought after for cricketing opportunities globally, should not be envied by the PCB.”
ANI quoted the official as saying the PCB was confused, and that permitting anyone from playing or working in cricket in India was ‘purely an internal matter’. The official compared it to the restriction on Pakistan players in the IPL.
“They are welcome to raise the matter at the ICC and one can understand where this is coming from but the question that they need to ask themselves is whether it is on account of government interference in their working since the prime minister of Pakistan is officially their patron as per their own constitution. It is time to consider whether this issue also ought to be raised at the ICC.”
The KPL will have six participating teams and they have drafted few foreign players like former Sri Lanka captain Tillakaratne Dilshan, former South African cricketer Herschelle Gibbs and four former England cricketers among others.
