Tough question: Brett Lee gives his take on called-off WCL clash between India-Pakistan
Brett Lee
weighed in on the recent contest that was called off between India and Pakistan in the ongoing
World Championships of Legends
(WCL).
Before the clash, WCL released a statement and confirmed that the India-Pakistan fixture at
Edgbaston
in Birmingham had been scrapped. According to various reports, several former Indian stars refused to participate in the fixture.
The denial of Indian players to feature against Pakistan stems from the heinous terror attack on tourists in Pahalgam on April 22. Following the attack, the relationship between India and Pakistan slumped and hit a new low.
Lee was quizzed about his views on the match between the two fierce rivals being called off. While addressing the "tough question", the former speedster maintained a neutral stance.
"That is a tough question. But the thing I'll say right is, I love India, I love Pakistan. So I hope that they can get to a discretion where they can appreciate themselves. But most importantly, we are here on a tournament. So Australia versus India versus South Africa. We are all inclusive. So what happened last night is what happened. We pushed for it," Lee, who is representing Australia Champions, told reporters in a press conference.
Live Events
WCL claimed that it had announced the India-Pak fixture after a recent volleyball match between the two countries to create happy memories for fans. However, the move backfired, and the league acknowledged in its statement that the decision may have ended up hurting the feelings of many and causing discomfort to the Indian legends.
In response, a decision was made to call off the fixture. WCL further apologised for any hurt sentiments. Dhawan shared an email written to the tournament organisers, where he stated that the decision not to play Pakistan had been communicated to the organisers on May 11. The email mentioned that the decision not to play Pakistan was made in consideration of the current geo-political situation.
In his post on X, Dhawan said, "Jo kadam 11 May ko liya, uspe aaj bhi waise hi khada hoon. Mera desh mere liye sab kuch hai, aur desh se badhkar kuch nahi hota." (I stand by the decision I took on May 11. My country is everything to me, and nothing is bigger than the country.)
In the previous edition of the WCL, India Champions trounced Pakistan to secure a five-wicket victory in the final. India gunned down a 157-run target with a blistering batting display to lift the title.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
6 minutes ago
- Indian Express
India vs West Indies Champions LIVE Score, WCL 2025: IND-C look for huge win against WI-C to have slim chance of going to next round
India Champions vs West Indies Champions Live Cricket Score, World Championship of Legends 2025 Today's India vs West Indies Legends Match Updates: With virtually little to no chance of qualifying for the next round, the India Champions will take on fellow strugglers West Indies in a bottom of the table clash in Leicester. The India Champions are yet to win any of their matches, having failed to defeat England in their last encounter. They have also lost to Australia and South Africa while refusing play against Pakistan. They are currently last in the table with just 1 point from 4 matches. If they want to get into the next round, they need to beat WI by a large margin in order to leapfrog ENG and WI . L-R: South Africa Champions are leading the WCL standings while India Champions are placed at the bottom. (AB de Villiers/Facebook & WCL media) WCL 2025 Points Table: South Africa lead World Championship of Legends standings; India placed last With the World Championship of Legends (WCL) moving to its business end, the race for the semifinal spot intensifies as three out of the four berths have been confirmed with just two more league games remaining.
New Indian Express
16 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Gautam Gambhir gets into fight with Oval curator
LONDON: India head coach Gautam Gambhir had a verbal spat with pitch curator Lee Fortis of the Oval Cricket ground two days ahead of the fifth and final Test here on Tuesday. Apparently unhappy with the facilities being provided for the optional training session and instruction being given by the ground staff, visibly upset Gambhir was seen having animated discussions with the chief curator and was even heard saying, "You don't tell us what to do." It was learnt that the ground staff has even threatened to lodge a complaint against Gambhir to which the latter responded saying, "You can do whatever you like." Notably, India reached London on Monday evening following a brilliant draw against England in Manchester a day before. Shubman Gill and Co are still trailing 1-2 in the series and need to win the match if they wish to share honours with the hosts. A few of the Indian team members along with Gambhir, batting coach Sitanshu Kotak and bowling Morne Morkel reached the venue in the morning for the optional nets. Bowlers were marking their respective run-ups when Gambhir allegedly had a heated exchange with Fortis. It escalated soon enough and Kotak had to intervene and separate the duo. What led to the altercations could not be known but given the discussions, it appeared Gambhir was not happy with the facilities and a few instructions given by the curator. The players, meanwhile, were seen busy with their work even as Gambhir and Fortis were having serious arguments. Kuldeep Yadav, who has not played a single match so far, was seen bowling while Akash Deep, who had to sit out of the fourth match due to injury, was also present during the session. Most of the players including Gill, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, previous match centurions Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar and KL Rahul skipped the nets. Wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel, fit-again Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, N Jagadeeshan, who replaced Rishabh Pant in the squad, Abhimanyu Easwaran were among the players who attended the session. India will have another practice session on Wednesday before the final match starting on Thursday.
Hindustan Times
19 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Oval pitch curator 'yelled' at Team India; Gautam Gambhir objected to it: 'The way he spoke really irked the head coach'
The Oval turned into a battleground on Tuesday as India head coach Gautam Gambhir got into a long and heated exchange with the pitch curator Lee Fortis after being unhappy with something during a training session. A Test series that already heated up after Shubman Gill's outburst and Zak Crawley and Ben Stokes' handshake drama a couple of days ago, just got more intense when Gambhir and Fortis were at loggerheads 48 hours before the start of the fifth and final Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Gautam Gambhir was involved in a heated exchange with the Oval curator. (BCCI - X) Fresh details have now emerged on the fiasco, with India batting coach Satanshu Kotak claiming that Gambhir's strong reaction was in fact a retaliation to Fortis firing the first shots. The Oval pitch curator was not pleased with some members of the squad carrying drinks to the field and thus shouted at them. That, along with a warning to stay at some distance from the pitch, triggered Gambhir, who is all about standing up for his players. During the 2023 IPL bust-up with Virat Kohli, Gambhir's anger stemmed from his defence of Naveen ul Haq, and two years later, little has changed. Also Read: What led to Gautam Gambhir's ugly fight with Oval pitch curator? 'Not my job to be happy with India coach' "The curator yelled at the support staff when they were getting the ice box. Gambhir objected to it and said, 'You cannot talk to my players like that'. The way he spoke irked Gambhir. Everyone knows that the curator at The Oval is not the easiest person to deal with," Kotal said during India's first press conference ahead of the fifth Test. Also Read: Oval pitch curator threatens to file complaint against Gambhir; he fires back; 'Go report to whoever you want' "When we went to see the wicket, when the coaches stood near it, he [Fortis] sent someone who told us to stay 2.5 meters away from the pitch. Which was a little surprising. Because it's a Test wicket. A five-day Test match will begin from the day after tomorrow. We were all wearing joggers, not real spikes. It was very odd. Looking at the wicket with a rubber spike is not wrong. We see that the ground is not damaged. It's a pitch, not an antique." 'It's a pitch, not some piece of antique' During the heated chapter, Fortis also threatened India that he would file a complaint against Gambhir, but the head coach couldn't care less. However, India decided to be the bigger team and informed that they wouldn't be taking any action against Fortis or any ground staff at the Oval. Also Read: Oval pitch curator 'yelled' at Team India; Gautam Gambhir objected to it; 'The way he spoke really irked the head coach' Still, Kotak condemned Fortis' behaviour, almost reminding him that the Indian team is not a bunch of amateurs who aren't aware of protocols. They are all professionals and, of course, aware that stepping on or getting close to the pitch with actual spikes is dangerous territory. "We have all been on the ground enough and played a lot of cricket. And we all know that curators are a little overprotective or possessive about the square and ground and all. But I think that just looking at the wicket wearing rubber spikes, there is nothing wrong. The curator also needs to understand that the people they are talking to are highly skilled and intelligent," India's batting coach said. "If you go on the ground now, where we practiced, you won't see a single bowler marking his run-up with spikes. And that comes from the head coach. So when you are working with such people, if you sound a bit arrogant and come across like it. At the end of the day, it's a cricket pitch and not some antique that you can't touch. We will not be lodging any complaints."
