A new dispute has arisen ahead of the upcoming match between India and Pakistan in Season-3 World Championship of Legends (WCL). The Pakistan Champions team announced its withdrawal from the tournament, citing several conditions set by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
According to sources, the PCB demanded written apologies from Indian players for a past conflict between India and Pakistan, and insisted on a handshake between players from both teams during the current tournament to grant the No Objection Certificate (NOC). The WCL management refused to accept these terms, leading to Pakistan's decision to exit the competition.
PCB Conditions Related to NOC
The Pakistan Champions team needed to obtain an NOC from the PCB to participate in the WCL. Although the team's match against Bangladesh was initially postponed for technical reasons, it turned out that the issue with the NOC was the actual cause. Sources claim that the PCB was willing to provide the NOC but imposed several conditions, including the requirement for written apologies from Indian players for last year's dispute, as well as the demand for mutual handshakes between Indian and Pakistani players during the game.
One source reported that the PCB tied the issuance of the NOC to the fulfillment of these conditions, but the WCL organizers did not agree with all the board's demands. According to the source, the organizers accepted the commercial and tournament conditions but rejected the requests for apologies from the Indian team and for the handshake.
What Happened Last Year?
Last year, a dispute arose surrounding a cricket match between India and Pakistan following the attack in Pahalgam. Within the WCL, India declined to play against Pakistan; the group stage match did not take place, and later the Indian team also refused to take the field against Pakistan in the semi-finals. This gave Pakistan a direct win by default into the final. Nevertheless, in the final match, Pakistan lost to South Africa. The issue of handshakes between players from both teams was also actively discussed at that time.
Now, the PCB allegedly requires written apologies from Indian players for last year's incident and insists on a handshake this season.
India-Pakistan Match Was Scheduled for October 10
The initial schedule for WCL Season-3 included a match between India and Pakistan on October 10. However, after Pakistan's withdrawal from the tournament, this match has been canceled. The organizers published an official statement on Monday confirming the departure of Pakistan Champions. WCL stated that Pakistan Champions would not participate in Season-3 due to unforeseen circumstances, and the tournament will continue with six teams.
What Did Pakistan State?
Interestingly, the official statement from Pakistan Champions did not mention the alleged PCB conditions regarding apologies and handshakes. The team directly stated that it could not participate in the WCL because the necessary NOC had not been issued by the PCB. The team expressed respect for the rights and decisions of the PCB.
Former Pakistani captain Shahid Afridi was supposed to captain Pakistan Champions, but he was absent in the UAE during the team's first match against Bangladesh. The match between Pakistan and Australia, scheduled for Monday, was also canceled. Pakistan Champions reached the final twice in the previous two versions of WCL, becoming vice-champions in both instances. Thus, they had the opportunity to win the title in the third season, but they left the tournament due to the NOC dispute.
The main question in this situation is how the shadow of the past cricket dispute between India and Pakistan reached even the legends tournament. On one hand, the PCB allegedly linked the NOC to apologies and handshakes, while on the other, the WCL organizers refused to accept these conditions. As a result, the India-Pakistan match scheduled for October 10 will not take place.
