Pakistan to boycott Women’s ODI World Cup opening ceremony in India – Report
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Pakistan to boycott Women’s ODI World Cup opening ceremony in India – Report Photograph: (AFP)
The latest reports from Pakistan suggest that neither team captain, Fatima Sana, nor any representative will attend the grand opening ceremony in India, which kicks off the eight-team tournament, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Following escalating cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan earlier this year, the Pakistan women’s cricket team will boycott the opening ceremony of the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 in Guwahati, India, on Tuesday (Sep 30). The latest reports from Pakistan suggest that neither team captain, Fatima Sana, nor any representative will attend the grand opening ceremony in India, which kicks off the eight-team tournament, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Geo News in Pakistan were the first to report that the Pakistan women’s cricket team decided against travelling to India to honour PCB’s agreement in principle (with the BCCI) not to visit or play any cricket in India for the next three years. This decision came on the back of a mutual understanding between the two boards over disallowing their respective teams to play any cricket, bilateral or multilateral, in their neighbouring country.
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It was the BCCI that first denied sending its team across the border for the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan (earlier this year) due to security concerns, forcing the ICC to urge the host board (the PCB) to acknowledge the hybrid model, allowing Team India’s participation in the tournament.
Although the PCB took its time before accepting the hybrid model, it put a stipulation that, should they agree to it, the BCCI will also have to ensure they take the hybrid model route every time an ICC or an ACC (Asia Cup) event is hosted in India, considering Pakistan's participation, with the two boards mutually agreeing to it.
Moreover, what unfolded in India’s Kashmir (on April 22) rocked the diplomatic ties between both countries. The Pahalgam terror attack, where Pakistan-based terrorists killed 26 innocent lives in broad daylight, all tourists from India and abroad, shocked the entire country, with India reverting with Operation Sindoor a fortnight later, destroying militant camps and bases across PoK and in Pakistan with precise air-strikes.
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Even though the Indian government broke all ties with Pakistan across almost all fronts, the two respective cricket boards agreed to play against each other in the Asia Cup 2025 in the UAE.
Pakistan squad for ICC Women's World Cup 2025 -
Fatima Sana (captain), Muneeba Ali Siddiqui (vice-captain), Aliya Riaz, Diana Baig, Eyman Fatima, Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Omaima Sohail, Rameen Shamim, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Shawaal Zulfiqar, Sidra Amin, Sidra Nawaz (wicket-keeper) and Syeda Aroob Shah. Non-travelling reserves: Gull Feroza, Najiha Alvi, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani and Waheeda Akhtar
