'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)'
Former wicket-keeper batter Rashid Latif says if had the power he would not let Pakistan play against India in any tournament and also suggested that ICC should not grant the hosting rights of global events to both countries until they resolve their issues.
The BCCI has refused to send its team to Pakistan for the upcoming Champions Trophy and there speculation that the entire tournament could be moved out of the country.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has written to the International Cricket Council (ICC) asking for a written confirmation from the BCCI for India's inability to travel to Pakistan for the tournament.
"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, known for his plain speak, told PTI Videos.
"If I would have been there, I would have taken this decision, and fought against the BCCI."
He suggested that the ICC should also stop giving major tournaments to both India and Pakistan till 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," said the former wicketkeeper-batter who played 37 Tests and 166 ODIs.
Touching upon the issue of political interference in cricket, particularly in Asia, Latif referred to the ban imposed on Sri Lanka (in 2023) and Zimbabwe (in 2019) by the ICC and questioned why the global body was lenient towards India and Pakistan.
The ICC had suspended Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) in November last year for alleged political interference in the administration of the sport in the country. The suspension was lifted in January this year.
"Why aren't India and Pakistan getting banned? Because, ICC has a lot of stake on them," he said.
The former cricketer criticised BCCI's stance regarding security concerns for the Indian team in Pakistan, saying the ICC's security team had assessed his country and deemed it safe.
"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.
On whether Pakistan will withdraw from the Champions Trophy if the tournament is shifted elsewhere, the veteran said, "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 was confident that lack of matches with India would not hamper Pakistan cricket's progress.
"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."
