Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Even as the row over Pakistan’s decision to boycott its men’s T20 World Cup group-stage clash against India continues to escalate, there is no indication that the fallout has spilled over into the women’s game. The Pakistan Women’s A team is set to play India Women’s A at the Rising Stars Asia Cup in Bangkok, with no instructions received so far to boycott the fixture, reported ESPNcricinfo on Monday.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!According to the report, preparations for the Rising Stars Asia Cup, which begins on February 13, are progressing as scheduled. Pakistan Women’s A and India Women’s A are due to meet on February 15 — the same day the Pakistan men’s team is slated to face India in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, a match the Pakistan government has said its team “shall not take the field” for, citing no reasons in a post on X.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) issued a press release on Sunday announcing the Women’s A squad for the tournament, hours after the boycott of the men’s World Cup clash was made public. Pakistan Women’s A are placed in Group A alongside India A, UAE and Nepal, underlining that, at least for now, the women’s fixture remains unaffected.ESPNcricinfo further reported that while speculation is rife over potential sanctions against the PCB, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is yet to decide whether a Board meeting is required to discuss the issue. Any such deliberations would involve the 12 Full Member boards, three Associate representatives and the ICC chair, but no emergency meeting has been called so far.The ICC has already made its stance clear, warning that “selective participation” is difficult to reconcile with the fundamental premise of global tournaments built on integrity, fairness and consistency. While the men’s India-Pakistan clash hangs in uncertainty, the absence of any boycott directive for the women’s team suggests a sharp contrast between the two situations.
