CoA to discuss India-Pakistan World Cup clash on Friday

New Delhi: Amid growing demands that India should boycott the World Cup clash with Pakistan in view of the Pulwama attack, the Committee of Administrators (CoA) will meet on Friday to take a call, even as there are suggestions from within the divided cricket body that nothing should be done that may embarrass the country.

The CoA, which governs cricket in India, will meet tomorrow to discuss the issue, sources said.

They said the panel is likely to seek advice from the ministries of Sports, External Affairs, Home Affairs and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to take “collective and responsible” decision with regards to the scheduled World Cup encounter.

According to BCCI sources, the two-member Committee of Administra(CoA) is divided on whether India should play the World Cup match against Pakistan.
Former Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai is the chief of Supreme Court-appointed CoA and ex-cricketer Diana Edulji is its member.

Ahead of the meeting, a BCCI official said the cricket body should leave the decision to the government.

One should leave the matters of foreign policy to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and follow the government's directions "quietly", the official, who did not want to be named, told ANI.

“Don't take a step that may embarrass you, your organisation and your country just to look good when you know it won't happen,” the official said.

“One must leave the foreign policy to MEA. If the government directs you, quietly follow their directions,” the official added.

The sources said the CoA chief had proposed the idea of writing a letter to the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding calling off the India-Pakistan clash in the wake of the Pulwama attack but the other member of the Committee rejected the idea.

Earlier, sources in BCCI had said that the cricket board will take the decision on the matter after having consultation with the government while another board official had advocated an “unprecedented step” in the case.

At least, 40 CRPF personnel were killed in a terror attack carried out by Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Pulwama in Kashmir on February 14.

There have been growing demands that India should boycott its clash with Pakistan during the World Cup starting in May this year in England, as a mark of protest.