I have been reading reports for the last two days which suggest that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has promised the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) that it will consider withdrawing from the World Cup in solidarity if the BCB’s demands are not met. While there is nothing official from the PCB on the matter, the fact is that the entire discussion is extremely childish to begin with. The question of Pakistan’s withdrawal sounds like nothing more than kite-flying. The PCB has signed a participating nations agreement, and there have been no violations whatsoever. It is playing its matches in Sri Lanka, and there is nothing it can cite to claim that it has been wronged. To say it will withdraw in a show of solidarity is a complete non-starter.
If such a thing were ever considered, all the ICC would need to do is show the PCB the agreement and ask on what grounds it is suggesting withdrawal. The ICC would then be well within its rights to impose a heavy penalty on Pakistan, as there are simply no grounds for such a decision to be taken.
This is yet another pressure tactic that has fallen flat, much like the BCB’s claim that there is no deadline to inform the ICC of its final decision. With the tournament just days away, it is only natural that the ICC will wait for a limited period and no longer. If Bangladesh believes it can hold the governing body to ransom and push the tournament to the brink, that is clearly not going to happen.
Time, may I say, is fast running out for Bangladesh. This argument about Pakistan coming to its support will not hold any ground either. Things do not work like this in international sports diplomacy. Pakistan, for example, knew very well that this is a tournament being hosted by India and Sri Lanka, yet it suggested that it was ready to host Bangladesh’s games. This was pure gallery-playing. With little or no chance of such a scenario materialising, it was an attempt to woo the anti-India faction and gain sympathy in Bangladesh.
As far as the ICC is concerned, it knows that time is at a premium. It also knows that as long as the issue is neither resolved nor settled one way or the other, attempts to complicate matters will continue. A final solution is now the need of the hour, and if that means a hard line has to be taken, so be it. The ICC has very little choice, having been pushed to the brink by the BCB. It is, against its wishes, caught between the devil and the deep blue sea — and Pakistan’s theatrics are not going to help.
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