New Delhi: The Board Of Control For Cricket In India (BCCI) ignited a controversy after it allegedly refused to sport the Pakistan printed kits during the ICC Champions Trophy. Pakistan are the official host of the tournament and all participating nations will have Pakistan printed on their jersey.
The Champions Trophy will be held in Pakistan from Feb 19 to March 9.
However, India reportedly refused to sport the jersey saying that they will be playing the matches in Dubai. For the unversed, the PCB and BCCI agreed on a hybrid model for the Champions Trophy after the Indian board refused to send team India to Pakistan due to security concerns.
After initial refusal, the PCB agreed on the BCCI’s hybrid model push, with Dubai being chosen as the venue for India’s matches.
Meanwhile, the ICC reportedly has asked the Indian team to sport the jersey with Pakistan written to comply with the policy of having the host name on the jersey. The ICC reportedly rubbished the theory that India will be playing their matches in Dubai, saying that Pakistan are the official host of the tournament, according to a report in A-Sport, as quoted by NDTV.
The Indian cricket team will adhere to the dress code set by the ICC during the upcoming Champions Trophy, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told PTI.
“It is the responsibility of every team to add the tournament logo to their jerseys. All teams are obligated to comply with this rule,” an ICC official said as per A-Sports, as quoted by NDTV
The report also stated that the ICC warned BCCI of strict action if they refused to sport the Pakistan-written jersey during the tournament.
Meanwhile, the PCB also expressed surprise at BCCI’s move and slammed the board for bringing politics into cricket. “BCCI is bringing politics into cricket, which is not at all good for the game. They refused to travel to Pakistan. They don’t want to send their captain (to Pakistan) for the opening ceremony, and now there are reports that they don’t want the host nation’s (Pakistan) name printed on their jersey,” he said as quoted by Express Sports.
“We believe that the world governing body (ICC) will not let this happen and will support Pakistan,” he added.
