The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reportedly prohibited all private cricket leagues and organisations from using the nation’s name, Pakistan, in their team branding in the wake of a significant issue during the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025. Following the India Champions’ two boycotts of matches against the Pakistan Champions, including the Birmingham semi-final match, the decision was taken.
When the India Champions, which included such greats as Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Shikhar Dhawan, and Harbhajan Singh, chose not to play in the group stage or the semi-final match against the Pakistan Champions in WCL 2025, a huge controversy erupted. Because of the political tensions between the two countries, the decision was made. After the Indian team withdrew from the league, the Pakistani champions, who had won the group, advanced straight to the championship match.
A report in Telecom Asia Sport (www.telecomasia.net) claims that the occurrence caused the PCB to become unsatisfied and called an emergency meeting of the Board of Governors to discuss the potential impact similar instances could have on Pakistan’s reputation in international cricket. The PCB stated after the meeting that the only body with the authority to permit the use of the term “Pakistan” in cricket matches is the official national cricket board.
“The decision was taken after a detailed discussion in the Board of Directors meeting on Thursday. The high-level authorities felt Indian players refusing to play Pakistan in the WCL’s second edition twice was hurtful to the name of the country,” sources told www.telecomasia.net on Friday.
Going future, this policy will be in place to stop the nation’s name from being misused in illegitimate competitions. Future approvals would only be given after evaluating the legitimacy of private leagues, even though the PCB has permitted the present Pakistan Legends team to play the South Africa Champions in the WCL final.
Furthermore, according to the sources, the PCB was advised to tighten regulations on the use of the nation’s name in cricket by the Inter-Provincial Coordination Committee (IPC), which is in charge of national sports matters.
PCB will enforce more stringent rules on the usage of the nation’s name in cricket.
In addition to sending Pakistan to the final by default, India’s decision to skip their semi-final disappointed supporters and other interested parties. As a courtesy to the impacted spectators, the organisers offered a 50% ticket refund.
Notably, on September 14, the men’s teams from India and Pakistan will play each other in the Asia Cup 2025 in the United Arab Emirates. They may also face each other in the Super Fours and the championship match. On October 6, the women’s teams will compete in the ODI World Cup in Colombo.
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