Anurag Thakur requests ICC not to put India and Pakistan in the same pool in future tournaments

The Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) has asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) not to put the India and Pakistan in the same group in future tournaments. The issue was discussed on the sidelines of the Special General Meeting amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan after Uri terror attack and the subsequent cross-LOC surgical strikes carried out by the Indian army.

“Keeping in mind that the government has adopted a new strategy to isolate Pakistan and in view of the public sentiment in the country, we request ICC not to put India and Pakistan in the same pool of the multi-nation tournaments,” BCCI president Anurag Thakur said.

“If the two countries reach the Semi-finals and have to clash at that time, it is another situation which can’t be avoided,” he added.

The next multi-nation tournament is the Champions Trophy to be held in the UK in seven months time. Considering the traditional rivalry between India and Pakistan, the ICC generally puts the two arch-rivals in the same group in multi-nation tournaments to attract more spectators.

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Earlier, Anurag Thakur had made firm statements saying that cricketing relations between both the countries is all but over. He further added that it was very inappropriate to even think about it.

The last time the two teams played a bilateral series was in 2012-13 when Pakistan visited India for three One-Day International and two T20 Internationals. Pakistan cricketers are also disallowed to participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Therefore, the only occasion when fans see both teams clash was during multi-nation tournaments. However, the way things are progressing at the moment, it seems that even that could become impossible.