Women's World Cup: Ball now in ICC's court

Hockey India’s decision to release the nine Pakistan players in the HIL has put the BCCI in a quandary. Hosting Pakistan in Mumbai for the women’s World Cup seems an implausible proposition.

A few BCCI officials are also associated with the league, although in a different capacity. 
The Indian cricket board has already informed the International Cricket Council (ICC) of the perils of Pakistan’s presence in the city. The present scenario — protests and threats by political activists — has been communicated to them. “We have informed the ICC about it. They will have to examine it and take a view,” BCCI chief N Srinivasan said.

The ICC is likely to hold a meeting on Wednesday. It is learnt that three possibilities could emerge. First, the BCCI might consider an alternative venue for all Pakistan matches, possibly Ahmedabad, although the situation could be equally volatile there.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials have apparently told the BCCI that they aren’t averse to a change of venue if assured of fool-proof security.

A World Cup without Pakistan is the most unlikely scenario and is bound to have far-reaching consequences. There’s the third probability of the World Cup being postponed, which is the most feasible option at this point. The PCB also dismissed reports on Tuesday claiming that their women’s team wanted to opt out of the tournament in protest.