The social media has been abuzz with the talk of the missing Indian flag from among those hoisted at the National Bank Stadium, Karachi, for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 that commences on Wednesday (today).
However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials have dismissed the row, claiming it is not obligatory to hoist the flags of all the participating nations.
"Not putting up India's flag at the National Stadium's main pavilion in Karachi ahead of the Champions Trophy is neither an offense nor an obligation," sources in the PCB told the Telecomasia website (www.telecomasia.net) on Tuesday.
A section of the Indian media on Monday had kicked up a controversy on the missing flag at the NSK, after some social media handles posted videos showing flags of some of the countries being hoisted at the National Bank Stadium in Karachi. They termed it a snub to the neighbours for refusing to send its team to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy.
The footage of the main building of the National Stadium released the other day showed flags of all the countries hoisted on top, barring that of India
The footage, which quickly gained traction online, triggered a widespread debate on the social media. However, the authenticity of the video could not be independently verified.
The knowledgeable sources confirmed that only four flags will be hoisted during the CT25 matches as per the International Cricket Council (ICC), besides those of the two competing sides on the match days.
It must be mentioned here that the build-up of the Champions Trophy was marred by political tensions between the arch rivals after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) informed the ICC that the Indian government has refused to allow the Indian cricket team to play in Pakistan.
That was followed by a month-long impasse and the mega event almost got relocated to the United Arab Emirates.
Later, as per a deal brokered by the ICC, Pakistan agreed to host the event on a hybrid model with India playing its Champions Trophy matches in Dubai on the condition that Pakistan will not send its team to play in India for the next ICC event and will instead play its matches at a neutral venue.
More controversy erupted two weeks back when the Indian media came out with the news that Rohit Sharma's team would not wear a shirt with Pakistan's name as the Champions Trophy host.
However, the row died down pretty quickly after the BCCI denied any such thing and said the Indian team will have no objections in wearing the official CT 2025 jersey bearing the names of all participating teams including hosts Pakistan. In another related development, the ICC announced there would be no photo shoots of the captains ahead of the Champions Trophy as it would not be not possible to gather all the teams in Karachi on February 16, the original scheduled date of the opening ceremony.
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