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.”
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Deion Sanders’ health has been a closely followed topic this offseason. In June, reports surfaced that the Pro Football Hall of Famer was sidelined with an unspecified illness.
In July, Sanders revealed he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of bladder cancer. During a news conference with his doctors, Sanders shared that a portion of his intestine had been surgically reconstructed to function as a bladder.
In his postgame press conference on Saturday, Sanders predicted he was facing more blood clots. “Cat’s out of the bag, all right. I think I’ve got more blood clots,” Sanders said on Saturday. “It don’t make sense. I’m hurting like crazy… I’m not getting blood to my leg. That’s why my leg is throbbing.”
The blood clot issue resulted in the amputation of two toes on his left foot in 2021. Sanders was coaching at Jackson State at the time. In 2023, the two-time Super Bowl champion missed Pac-12 media day to address a blood clot in his right leg and another surgery to correct curved toes on his left foot.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders watches his team warm up before an NCAA college football game against TCU Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Sanders said Tuesday’s operation, which is known as an aspiration thrombectomy, is expected to take several hours. He plans to return to the sideline in time for Colorado’s practice on Wednesday.
DOCTORS SHARE BLADDER CANCER WARNING SIGNS AFTER DEION SANDERS REVEALS DIAGNOSIS AND RECOVERY
“I am having a procedure today,” Sanders said during a press conference on Tuesday. “Prayerfully, I’ll be right back tomorrow ‘cause I don’t miss practice. I don’t plan on doing such. It is what it is, and we found what we found… I have a wonderful team of doctors at UC Health and a wonderful team of trainers here.”
He added: “It has nothing to do with me working at the level I’m trying to compete at. It is hereditary. It is what it is… I trust God with all my heart and all my soul and all my mind.”
Colorado head coach Deion Sanders calls for a time out in the first half of an NCAA college football game against TCU Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Former NFL player Adam “Pacman” Jones attended Tuesday’s media session as a show of support. Sanders appreciates all the texts and phone calls from people expressing their concern over his health.
“I’ve got a lot of well-wishes, of people talking about: ‘You need to slow down. You need to take a break,’” Sanders said. “There’s nothing that I could’ve done to stop what’s transpiring. Nothing that I could’ve taken or something that I’m just not abiding by. It is what it is.”
Following his bladder cancer diagnosis and treatment, Sanders frequently needs to use the restroom, so the school introduced a portable sideline bathroom for him during games that’s sponsored by Depend underwear.
University of Colorado head coach Deion Sanders speaks about his journey beating bladder cancer during a press conference at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado on Monday, July 28, 2025. (AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
“I’m going to go in there [surgery], and I’m going to get some of the best sleep in the world for, I think, four hours, the surgery is going to be,” Sanders said Tuesday.
“I’ve never been high a day in my life. I’ve never drank, smoked or anything. But when I get those surgeries, I am there on time.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The Buffaloes are 15-16 since Sanders took over as their coach leading into the 2023 season. They’re trying to get on track this season as they replace quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
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.
Ecuador president unharmed after gun attack on motorcade; five attackers held
Deion Sanders faces another blood clot procedure, expects return for Iowa State matchup
Taylor Swift, Blake Lively rebuilding their broken bond? Source
-
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
-
Business1 week agoYouTube to pay $24.5m to settle Trump lawsuit over Capitol riot