Pakistan's Faisalabad Wolves' participation in CLT20 appears doubtful

The Faisalabad Wolves

Pakistan domestic T20 franchise Faisalabad Wolves are doubtful starters for this year’s edition of the T20 Champions League.

Political tensions between India and Pakistan have created a charged atmosphere in the countries, and administrators in India will have to take into account the prevailing conditions before they can give a go ahead to the participation of the team from Pakistan.

The Government of India will be the final authority to take a call on this issue, and the BCCI has issued a statement to this effect. “When it comes to any team from Pakistan featuring in a tournament in India, the final decision rests completely in the foreign ministry’s hands. And we will follow the ministry’s advice,” a senior BCCI official told ESPNCricinfo.

With the tournament scheduled to start from September 17, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) will have about a month to make a decision. The Ministry has confirmed that they have received a request of participation from the Wolves.

“We have been approached by a cricket team from Pakistan to participate in the Champions League Twenty20 event,” a spokesperson in the MEA said.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has apprehensions about the safety of its cricketers and have said that they will keep a check on the developments. They have however, gone ahead and processed the visa applications of members in the Wolves squad.