Will Pakistan Players Play In Proposed India vs Rest Of The World On Independence Day?
Pakistan and India (Image Source: Twitter)
A match between India and the rest of the world was proposed to the Indian Cricket Board by the Ministry of Culture to celebrate the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav campaign for marking 75 years of India’s independence. The Indian Board’s president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah will be in England on 24 July 2020 to discuss this proposal at the annual conference of the Governance body of cricket.
Other Cricket boards will be contacted regarding the player’s availability. For now, many Indian Cricket Board sources said that the matter is only on at the discussion stage due to many “operational and logistical elements”.
Pakistan players are unlikely to join the Rest of the World squad
According to the source of the Indian Cricket Board, other cricket leagues will be ongoing at that time, and players, who may come for that match, need to be financially compensated. He said: “We have received a proposal from the government to organize a cricket match between India XI and World XI on August 22. For the rest of the world squad, we would need at least 13-14 international players and their availability is something that we need to check on,”
He also added: “English domestic cricket would be underway and the Caribbean Premier League would also begin. The Indian Cricket Board is checking if international players will have to be compensated financially for their participation.”
But, the participation of Pakistan players in the Rest of the World squad is most unlikely due to the existing political disturbance between the two countries. Due to political tensions between the two countries, Pakistan players might not be invited or called for this match. However, top Indian players will be available, as per sources.
Some Indian players will be not available as India will be busy with an away series against Zimbabwe, comprising three ODIs, which ends on August 20. Top players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Rishabh Pant, who are not going to Zimbabwe, will be available. Hence, they will be requested to participate in this match. “All Indian players will be requested and they are likely to join the squad for the match. Indian cricketers would need little convincing as it is an event organized under the aegis of the government of India.” The source concluded. The match will have either a status of an international T20 or a friendly and as of now, it is likely to be held at Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla ground.
