ICC reveals India sought prior permission to don camouflage caps against Australia

In the third ODI between India and Australia at the JSCA International Stadium in Ranchi last week, local boy MS Dhoni had distributed camouflage caps amongst his team members before Friday’s toss, as a mean to pay tribute to the 40 Indian soldiers killed in the cowardly terrorist attack in Pulwama.

The decision of Board of Cricket Control for India (BCCI) officials to do so drew massive flak from the Pakistan media and government officials. However, the International Cricket Council (ICC) released a statement that mentioned that the Indian cricket team had sought prior permission to wear the caps in the match at Ranchi.

“The BCCI sought permission from the ICC to wear the caps as part of a fundraising drive and in memory of fallen soldiers who have died, which was granted,” ICC spokeswoman Claire Furlong told The Associated Press in an e-mail on Monday.

Information minister Fawad Chaudhry had earlier called for the ICC to ban the Indian cricket team for mixing politics with sports. Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ehsan Mani had echoed his leader’s sentiments suggesting his the country to have “strongly taken up the matter with the ICC.”

“There’s absolutely no misunderstanding in the ICC about our position, We believe that cricket and sports should not be used for politics and we have said this very clearly. Their (India) credibility in the cricketing world has gone down very badly,” Mani said late Sunday in Karachi.