Pakistan Considers Withdrawing From Cricket World Cup

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Pakistan’s foreign ministry said it is “assessing all aspects” of the country’s participation in this year’s Over-50 World Cup in India with bilateral cricket at a standstill between the South Asian neighbors due to sour political relations.

The two countries have met only in multi-team events at neutral venues for the past decade and questions remain over Pakistan’s participation in the World Cup in October-November.

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari of Pakistan was among the foreign ministers who traveled to Goa, India, last month to attend a Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting, becoming the first high-ranking Pakistani leader. to visit India in nine years.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said Pakistan was of the opinion that “politics should not mix with sports.”

“India’s policy of not playing cricket in Pakistan is disappointing,” Baloch said in Islamabad on Thursday.

“We are observing and evaluating all aspects related to our participation in the World Cup, including the security situation of Pakistani cricketers, and will offer our views to the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) in due course. “.

Doubts about Pakistan’s participation have meant that the dates and venues of the World Cup are yet to be confirmed, just over three months before the start of the tournament.

India has already ruled out traveling to Pakistan for the Asian Cup, which is scheduled to start on August 31. In response, Pakistan has threatened to boycott the World Cup if it loses the hosting rights for the Asian Cup.

Seeking a compromise, the Asian Cricket Council said the regional tournament will be held in a ‘hybrid model’ with four matches in Pakistan and the remaining nine in Sri Lanka.

-Reuters