Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt dared India to maintain its nationalist position in ICC tournaments, after numerous players from the Yuvraj Singh-led India Champions side withdrew from the highly anticipated match against Pakistan in the World Championship of Legends (WCL), leading to the game's cancellation in Birmingham on Sunday by the organizers.

Following widespread public criticism, the captain and Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan, and Yusuf Pathan were among the players who allegedly withdrew from the game. Their previous condemnation of the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which was followed by military action under Operation Sindoor, was the source of the criticism.

Early Sunday morning, WCL canceled the game and issued an apology for "unintentionally causing discomfort" to the Indian team's players.

Reacting on his YouTube channel, Butt questioned India's intentions, stating that their behavior conveyed the incorrect message to both supporters and the game. He then issued the challenge that if India were so adamant about its position, it should pledge to never compete against Pakistan in any ICC competitions, including the World Cup and the Olympics.

"The entire globe is discussing them—what message have they sent to cricket as a whole and to the fans?" What are you attempting to demonstrate? What are you attempting to establish? Don't compete in the World Cup or any ICC competition against us. make this a promise. We comprehend that everything has its own place. However, now that you're connected, avoid competing against us in any tournament or at any level. Not even the Olympics. Please do that. I would like to see. At that level, I would see how much nationalism they can display, and the stakes would be high.

However, Butt continued by saying that the older Indian players were unfairly and needlessly pressuring others on the squad to miss the game.

"What is this mentality? I don't get it at all. Who made this choice? Because of those four or five individuals who chose not to play, other people, who may have been inclined to do so, felt under pressure," he said.

The former Pakistan opener ended by saying that the nation will not forget India's actions at the WCL and that if India ever deviates from its stance in ICC competitions, they will continue to remind them of their "nationalism." "Keep this intact, because we will keep reminding them of this," he said.

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