Lahore, August 3, 2025: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a complete withdrawal from all future editions of the World Championship of Legends (WCL), citing concerns over the tournament’s integrity and what it called “politically motivated conduct” by the organisers.
The decision was formally endorsed during the PCB’s 79th Board of Governors (BoG) meeting, held virtually under the chairmanship of Mohsin Naqvi.
The move comes in the wake of a major controversy that marred the 2025 WCL, where the India Champions refused to play two key fixtures against the Pakistan Champions—a group stage match and a semi-final—due to political tensions between the two countries.
As a result, both teams were awarded a point each for the cancelled group match, while Pakistan was handed a walkover into the final following India’s refusal to participate in the knockout match.
In a strongly worded statement, the PCB criticised the tournament’s handling of the situation, calling it a breach of sporting fairness.
“Awarding points to a team that voluntarily forfeited a fixture undermines the spirit of competition,” the board stated.
Reaffirming its position, the PCB said it had consistently advocated for the separation of sports from politics, and described the WCL’s handling of the situation as regrettable and damaging to the credibility of international sporting events.
“The PCB believes cricket should be a force for unity, not division. To allow a tournament featuring legendary players to be shaped by political sentiment contradicts the very values international sport stands for,” the statement read.
The board also took issue with an official press release issued by WCL organisers, describing it as biased and nationalistic in tone.
“The language used reflected a prejudiced stance, and the subsequent apology appeared to be a product of political pressure rather than genuine accountability,” the PCB said.
As a result, the PCB has decided to boycott all future WCL tournaments, declaring that it will not participate in any event “tainted by political interference.”
The virtual meeting included senior PCB officials and board members such as COO Sumair Ahmed Syed, PSL CEO Salman Naseer, Zaheer Abbas, Zahid Akhtar Zaman, Sajjad Ali Khokhar, Zafarullah Jadgal, and others. Usman Wahla and Mir Hassan Naqvi joined as special invitees.
This firm stance signals Pakistan’s intent to uphold the principles of fair play, neutrality, and sporting independence, even as political tensions continue to challenge cross-border cricket engagements.
