Sports
‘Easy to talk about’: BCCI official responds to calls for scrapping Pak vs Ind games
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday dismissed suggestions to avoid Pakistan-India games in International Cricket Council (ICC) tournaments.
Former England captain Michael Atherton had urged ICC to stop scheduling fixtures that ensure India and Pakistan face each other in every major tournament.
According to an Indian news website, a BCCI official termed it ‘easy’ to give suggestions about the Pakistan-India matches, but argued that broadcasters would not agree to such a schedule which does not feature the blockbuster clash between the arch-rivals.
“It’s easy to talk about all this, but will sponsors and broadcasters agree to it? In today’s situation, if any major team, not just India, withdraws from a tournament, it will be difficult to attract sponsors,” the report quoted the BCCI official as saying.
Atherton’s remarks came in the wake of the tension and controversy that followed last month’s T20 Asia Cup 2025, where the two arch-rivals met three times, including in the final.
The event was marred by heated exchanges, while India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav also refused to shake hands with his Pakistani counterpart, Salman Agha.
The animosity extended beyond the men’s event, as the skippers of both women’s teams, Pakistan’s Fatima Sana and India’s Harmanpreet Kaur, also avoided shaking hands after their ODI Women’s World Cup match in Colombo on Sunday.
Writing in his column for The Times (UK), Atherton acknowledged that the ICC’s decision to schedule India-Pakistan fixtures in global tournaments has strong commercial and diplomatic motivations.
The two teams have faced each other in the group stage of all 11 ICC events held since 2013.
“Despite its rarity — or perhaps because of it — the fixture carries huge economic clout,” Atherton wrote.
“It is one of the main reasons why ICC tournament broadcast rights are valued so highly, around $3 billion for the 2023–27 cycle,” he added.
He further noted that with bilateral cricket losing financial value, ICC events have grown in importance, making the India-Pakistan clash a crucial factor for broadcasters and stakeholders.
However, Atherton argued that the match has now become a platform for political and emotional display rather than sporting competition.
“If cricket was once a vehicle for diplomacy, it has now clearly become a proxy for broader tensions and propaganda,” he stated.
“There is little justification for a serious sport to manipulate tournament fixtures purely for economic benefit. Given how the rivalry is being exploited, there is even less reason to continue this practice.”
The 57-year-old concluded by urging the ICC to ensure transparency in future tournament draws.
“For the next broadcast rights cycle, the fixture draw should be transparent — and if India and Pakistan don’t meet every time, so be it.”
The Washington Capitals open their season against the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night at Capital One Arena.
Source link
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Former Auburn men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl issued a serious warning on Tuesday, two years after the Oct. 7 attacks carried out by Hamas. His warning comes amid the Trump administration’s efforts to broker a peace deal.
During an appearance on OutKick’s “Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich,” Pearl called out the “atrocities” of the attacks on Israel. He also commended President Donald Trump’s efforts to return hostages – both alive and dead.
Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl reacts on the court against the Georgia Bulldogs at Stegeman Coliseum on Jan. 18, 2025. (Dale Zanine/Imagn Images)
“Today is the two-year anniversary of one of the world’s biggest holocausts, and that was the murder of 1,200 Israelis. And there were over 50 Americans killed two years ago on that day by Hamas and Palestinian terrorists that were basically protesting over the fact that they don’t have their own state,” the longtime college basketball coach said.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
“We need to continue to support President Trump. He has done an amazing job, instead of pressures from all over the world to cave and give these terrorists a reward of another state – his whole land-for-peace stuff that we tried in Gaza, it didn’t work. It failed.”
Negotiators from Israel and Hamas convened in Egypt on Monday to discuss the details of Trump’s proposed peace plan seeking to end the war and return the remaining 48 hostages being held.
U.S. President Donald Trump looks on during a meeting at the 80th session of the UN’s General Assembly (UNGA) at the United Nations headquarters on Sept. 23, 2025, in New York City. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Trump’s 20-point plan requires all hostages, both dead and alive, to be returned within 72 hours of Hamas signing off on the deal. It also calls for Israeli forces to withdraw its troops and for a complete disarmament of Hamas.
Pearl said regardless of the talks in Egypt, the return of hostages and the demilitarization of Hamas are the “baseline” for peace. He issued a grave warning about history being repeated.
“They spent all these years building a terrorist state and just waiting and waiting and waiting until a moment when they could do what they did on October 7th. We cannot let that happen again. The hostages have got to come home. Hamas has got to be demilitarized, and can no longer be involved in any future government.”
Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl yells during practice at the Final Four of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, April 4, 2025, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“Once we go there, then there’s a real possibility for President Trump to build on the Abraham Accords and have there be a prosperous, peaceful Middle East.”
Pearl, one of a handful of Jewish coaches in college basketball at the time, was named chairman of the Board of Directors for the U.S. Israel Education Association (USIEA) in April. He has been an outspoken supporter of Israel since the Oct. 7 attacks.
At the time of the announcement, Pearl said he was “proud to continue advocating for greater understanding and collaboration” between the U.S. and Israel.
Fox News Digital’s Rachel Wolf and Diana Stancy contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A hawk stolen from SoFi Stadium last month during a game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Indianapolis was returned to its rightful owner, while a second hawk remains missing.
The two birds, named Bubba and Alice, were hired by the stadium to deter other birds from the area during games and events. But on Sept. 28, the birds were stolen by an unknown suspect along with the utility task vehicle (UTV) the birds were being held in.
The two birds, named Bubba and Alice, were hired by the stadium to deter other birds from the area during games and events. (Inglewood Police Department)
According to Inglewood police, at around 2:22 p.m., a male suspect took off with a Kawasaki Mule UTV from the lake area of the NFL stadium’s grounds. In the utility vehicle were two hawks being held in green containers.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Police said the key to the vehicle was left in the ignition at the time of the theft.
According to NBC Los Angeles, Bubba was located by a homeowner in Hacienda Heights after she called police Sunday to report the bird in her backyard. The hawks’ handler, Charles Cogger, was then contacted by law enforcement.
According to Inglewood police, at around 2:22 p.m., a male suspect took off with a Kawasaki Mule UTV from the lake area of the NFL stadium’s grounds. In the utility vehicle were two hawks being held in green containers. (Inglewood Police Department)
NEW DETAILS EMERGE IN REPORTED ROBBERY INVOLVING STEELERS’ SKYLAR THOMPSON IN DUBLIN
“I made arrangements, got over there as quick as I could and got Bubba back,” Cogger told the station. “Alice is still out there, but this gives me hope she will show up.”
Bubba was reportedly found about 25 miles from the site of the theft.
A general interior view of SoFi Stadium prior to an NFL football game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Oct. 2, 2025, in Inglewood, California. (Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
It was not immediately clear if an arrest in the case had been made.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Heating engineers urged to sign up to heat pump ‘giveaway’ for their own homes
Fueled again by doubters, the Caps know they need ‘a little bit more’
Putin says Russia seized nearly 5,000 sq km of Ukraine, holds full strategic control
-
Tech1 week agoInterrupting encoder training in diffusion models enables more efficient generative AI
-
Sports1 week agoTransfer rumors, news: Benzema linked with reunion with Mourinho at Benfica
-
Tech1 week agoMore people are using AI in court, not a lawyer. It could cost you money—and your case
-
Fashion1 week agoThe World’s Fashion Business News
-
Tech1 week agoOpenAI Is Preparing to Launch a Social App for AI-Generated Videos
-
Fashion1 week agoPay, human rights and the environment: the OECD puts Shein on notice
-
Business1 week agoTop stocks to buy today: Stock market recommendations for September 30, 2025 – check list – The Times of India
-
Sports1 week agoTransfer rumors, news: Xavi keen on Man United if Amorim departs