Calcutta: A veterans' cricket match involving India and Pakistan in the World Championship of Legends in Birmingham on Sunday has been cancelled after Indian cricketers, including Shikhar Dhawan, refused to be a part of it, citing the Pahalgam terror attack in April.
The second edition of the tournament got underway on June 18 at Edgbaston and is scheduled to conclude with the final on August 2. World Cup winner Yuvraj Singh is the captain of the India legends, while the squad also features Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, Suresh Raina, Robin Uthappa, Varun Aaron and the like.
The WCL organisers shared a statement on their X account, detailing the decision of the India-Pakistan match's cancellation, adding their intention while conducting the game was to recreate some "happy memories."
"After hearing the news that the Pakistan hockey team will be coming to India this year, and seeing the recent India vs Pakistan volleyball match along with a few other fixtures between the two nations in different sports, we thought of continuing with the India vs Pakistan match at WCL, just to create some happy memories for people around the globe.
"But maybe in the process, we ended up hurting the feelings of many and stirring emotions," the WCL statement read.
The organisers also apologised for "unintentionally causing discomfort" to Indian legends. "Hence, we have decided to call off the India-Pakistan match. We sincerely apologise again for hurting the sentiments and hope people will understand that all we ever wanted was to bring a few happy moments to the fans," the statement added.
Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan also shared a statement on X, announcing his stand not to participate in the match against Pakistan legends. "This is to formally reiterate and confirm that Mr Shikhar Dhawan will not be participating in any matches against the Pakistan team in the upcoming WCL League.
"In view of the current geopolitical situation and the prevailing tensions between India and Pakistan, Mr Dhawan and his team have taken this position after due consideration," the statement on Dhawan's X handle read.