The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) finds itself in a tough spot after the BCCI informed the ICC that India won't travel across the border for the Champions Trophy next year.
The PCB has already started preparations for the showpiece tournament, including upgrading its stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi. However, reports are now claiming that the mega event will be held in a hybrid model.
The recent development has sparked strong reactions from the members of the Pakistan cricket fraternity. Former wicketkeeper-batter Rashid Latif believes Pakistan should stop playing cricket with India.
Not the one to mince his words, Latif said he would prevent Pakistan from playing against India in any competition if he had the authority.
"There's a big possibility that Pakistan can stop playing cricket against India. Had I been in power, then, yes, I may have taken this strong step. I would not blame anyone for this. If you don't want to play (in Pakistan), then don't play against us (at all)," Latif told PTI Videos.
"If I would have been there, I would have taken this decision, and fought against the BCCI," he added.
Latif also suggested that the ICC should refrain from granting hosting rights for global events to either country until their bilateral issues are resolved.
"In my opinion, ICC should withhold the hosting rights for both countries until these issues between them are resolved; until their problems are settled," he remarked.
Latif pointed out instances where the ICC imposed bans on Sri Lanka in 2023 and Zimbabwe in 2019 due to alleged political interference in cricket administration. He questioned the ICC's seemingly lenient approach towards India and Pakistan.
"Why aren't India and Pakistan getting banned? Because, ICC has a lot of stake on them," he said.
Rashid Latif expressed his disapproval of the BCCI's stance on security concerns for the Indian team in Pakistan, highlighting that the ICC's security team had assessed Pakistan and declared it safe for the tournament.
"This is the first time, I would say, the BCCI is at fault. The reason they are stating is very weak. It has to be in writing that the BCCI and the Indian cricket team is feeling threatened.
"The ICC security team came here and gave the green light for the tournament. If you had issues, you could have reported to them," he said.
When asked about the possibility of Pakistan pulling out of the Champions Trophy if the tournament is moved out of the country, Latif stated that there was no official confirmation on the matter.
"Nobody has seen it on paper. It has to be written down on a piece of paper. We had a word with the PCB (and) they said they have sent an e-mail to the Pakistan government regarding this. This is a serious legal issue, nobody is willing to give it in writing."
Latif sounded confident that Pakistan cricket's progress would not be hindered due to lack of matches against India.
"We didn't play at home for 12 long years. What could be more painful than that? Pakistan will get the 34 million dollars in every eight-year time (from ICC), whether they play India or not. The boards that are rich will suffer losses, not a board like PCB that doesn't have the money."
"Pakistan can survive playing bilateral series even if they don't play major ICC tournaments."
