The Indian Blind Cricket team has been forced to withdraw from the next T20 World Cup, which will be staged in Pakistan, in a major diplomatic turn of events. The Ministry of External Affairs denied the squad permission to enter the border, resulting in the decision that has caused a stir. The issue for the Indian team going to Pakistan has been a hot debate especially after the ICC Champions Trophy saga. The ICC event has been originally scheduled to host by Pakistan but now they are forced to be co-hosts after India have denied to visit their neighbours.
Waiting game & sudden withdrawal
Shailendra Yadav, the General Secretary of the Indian Blind Cricket Association (IBCA), revealed the heart of the matter in a candid conversation. “We were waiting for the last 25 days to get permission from the government to go to Pakistan,” he explained. The team, which had already received a No-Objection Certificate from the Sports Ministry, found itself in a diplomatic quagmire when the MEA verbally communicated their inability to grant travel permission.
“Now we can’t wait any longer as the tournament is about to begin. When I talked with the Ministry of External affairs (MEA) on the phone then they told us that we won’t be getting any permission to go to Pakistan and we can cancel your tournament. They also told us that we will be getting an official letter of denial as well. However, we haven’t got any official letter yet but on the basis of our conversation with MEA we’ve decided not to go to Pakistan and we will not participate in the Blind T20 World Cup,” Yadav told India Today.
India not alone to deny Pakistan
The Indian team is not alone in this decision. England, Australia, and New Zealand have also opted out of the tournament, making India the fourth team to withdraw. This collective stance underscores the complex geopolitical tensions that continue to simmer between India and Pakistan. The withdrawal is particularly poignant given India’s stellar performance in previous tournaments. The team are the defending champions, having won all three previous editions of the Blind T20 World Cup in 2012, 2017, and 2022. Their last victory in 2022 was particularly memorable – a crushing 120-run win against Bangladesh at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
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