After the Indian players declined to play against Pakistan, the World Championships of Legends organizers decided to cancel the semifinal match between the Indian and Pakistani champions.
Due to intense pressure and sentiments against the neighboring nation, the Indians, who had begun the tournament by forfeiting their league match against Pakistan due to the nation’s support of terrorists and its involvement in the Pahalgam terror attack, withdrew from the competition and informed the organizers of their decision on Wednesday.
After defeating the West Indies Champions in their last game, the Indian Champions advanced to the semifinals.
“We respect the Pakistani champions’ willingness to fight as much as we accept the Indian champions’ decision to skip the semifinals. The India-Pakistan Champions match has been canceled after careful evaluation of all relevant criteria,” the organizers said in a statement on Wednesday.
“As a result, Pakistan Champions will advance to the final,” explained the announcement.
Despite their long-standing belief in the transformative potential of sport, the WCL organizers acknowledged that “public sentiment must always be respected – after all, everything we do is for our audience.”
Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, and Yousuf Pathan are among the players from the Indian champions who declined to play against the Pakistani champions on Wednesday.
Shikhar Dhawan was among the Indian players who had previously stated that they will not play against Pakistan in Birmingham earlier this month. Tensions now seem to have spilled over into the knockout stage as the organizers finally canceled the India Champions vs. Pakistan Champions group stage match.
On the field, the India Champions, led by Yuvraj Singh, have orchestrated an incredible comeback. Following a scorching 21-ball fifty from Stuart Binny, they came back to thrash the West Indies Champions on Tuesday after finishing last in the table with three losses in their opening four games. They did this by chasing 145 in just 13.2 overs.
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