No constitutional or contractual way Pakistan can be banned from World Cup: BCCI official

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has said that there is no way of seeking a ban on Pakistan from the Cricket World Cup, Indian media reported on Thursday.

Calls by Indian cricket fans as well as cricketers — angered by last week’s suicide bombing attack in Pulwama district of occupied Kashmir in which more than 40 Indian troops were killed — to boycott a World Cup match against Pakistan this summer have intensified over the last few days.

The Cricket Club of India (CCI), among the country’s oldest clubs, also joined calls for the national team to stay away from the June 16 match in Britain, as Indians accused Pakistan of not doing enough to stop militants from operating on its soil — a charge Pakistan has strongly denied.

“The BCCI and the Committee of Administrators (CoA) have not prepared any note seeking a ban on Pakistan at the upcoming World Cup and even if such a move is made, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is bound to reject it,” a BCCI official was quoted as saying by NDTV Sports.