Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a complete ban on its players’ future participation in the World Championship of Legends (WCL), citing the tournament’s alleged political bias and lack of fairness.
Former stars like Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, and Mohammad Hafeez represented Pakistan Champions, who finished runners-up in the recently concluded tournament. However, controversy erupted when India Legends refused to play Pakistan twice, including in the semi-final stage.
Instead of penalising the Indian team, organisers awarded shared points for the abandoned group-stage match, prompting strong criticism from PCB. The board labelled the decision as “hypocritical and prejudiced”, claiming it undermined the spirit of the game.
Following a virtual board meeting on Saturday, the PCB issued a strongly worded statement accusing the WCL organisers of bowing to a nationalist narrative and commercial motives. “This kind of manipulation, masked as sensitivity, sends an unacceptable message to the global sporting community,” read the statement.
The WCL, featuring retired cricketers from Pakistan, India, England, Australia, South Africa, and the West Indies, began in Birmingham on 18 July. Indian players such as Shikhar Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, Yusuf Pathan, and Suresh Raina refused to play against Pakistan, reportedly due to political reasons. The organisers later issued an apology to Indian fans “hurt” by the prospect of playing Pakistan, sparking further backlash.
In response, the PCB wrote: “We will not allow our players to participate in any event where the spirit of the game is compromised under the guise of politics. It damages the core values of sportsmanship and cricketing ethics.”
The WCL is run by privately owned entities. Its founder and CEO is Harshit Tomar, a rapper and entertainer from India’s music scene, while Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn is also listed as a co-owner.