India vs Pakistan: What happens next as WCL calls off Edgbaston clash? What's in reserve in Asia Cup, T20 World Cup?
Captain Yuvraj Singh, along with Harbhajan Singh, Irfan and Yusuf Pathan, Suresh Raina, and Shikhar Dhawan, were among the first to opt out amid mounting public backlash. The controversy stemmed from the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which was followed by a military response from India under Operation Sindoor.
While official confirmation was not issued for most withdrawals, Dhawan took to X in the early hours of Monday to clarify his decision. He stated that his choice was influenced by the current "geopolitical" tensions between India and Pakistan.
"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. This decision was communicated earlier during our discussion on call and WhatsApp dated 11th May 2025," read his statement.
Within hours, WCL cancelled the match between India and Pakistan, while apologising to the players for "unintentionally causing discomfort". They also explained that the mere move behind the fixture was to recreate some "happy memories."
The organisers said: "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. 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."
What next after WCL's move? What's in reserve in Asia Cup, T20 World Cup?
While the controversy surrounding the WCL may not directly impact international cricket, the ongoing protests from Indian fans highlight the growing challenges of sports diplomacy amid rising political tensions.
The next potential India-Pakistan clash could come in the Asia Cup, but the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has yet to officially confirm whether the tournament will take place this year.
Earlier, India refused to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, prompting months of diplomatic back-and-forth before the ICC intervened, selecting Dubai as a neutral venue for India's matches. A similar hybrid model was used during the 2023 Asia Cup, where India played all their games in Sri Lanka despite Pakistan being the designated host. Following this, Pakistan proposed that future tournaments adopt the same approach. This has led to speculation that Sri Lanka may host Pakistan's matches in the Asia Cup later this year, even though India are the official hosts.
However, following the incident in Pahalgam, BCCI maintained that the final decision to participate in the Asia Cup and play a match with Pakistan was pending government clearance.
Earlier on Friday, Indian Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya ended weeks of speculation over, saying that India has "no problem playing Pakistan in international tournaments where multiple countries are involved."
His clarification came as India gears up to stage the two major hockey tournaments — the Hockey Asia Cup (August 27 — September 7 in Rajgir, Bihar) and the Junior World Cup later this year. Mandaviya confirmed that India would grant visas to the Pakistani teams. He said, "It is now up to their government whether they send the teams."
The other big event is the T20 World Cup next year, where India are the hosts again. On May 22, PTI had reported that India and Pakistan are unlikely to be clubbed together in global tournaments, starting with 2026 T20 World Cup.
"The issue is bound to come up for discussion at the annual conference. While the prospect of India and Pakistan not playing in ICC knockouts is unlikely, not drawing them in the same group, which has been the norm at ICC events, is a possibility," a BCCI source had told the news agency.
ICC will take the final call when the members meet for the annual conference, which is likely to end on Sunday, July 20, in Singapore. Jay Shah is expected to have attended the meeting for the first time since assuming the role in December last year.
In between the two is the 50-over Women's World Cup, which will begin on September 30. with India as the host nation. Pakistan will play all their matches in Colombo based on the pre-agreed hybrid model.
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