ICC T20 World Cup Receives Terror Threat From Pakistan; Cricket West Indies Allays Fears

Authorities in the Caribbean have received a terror alert coming from North Pakistan ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup that will be co-hosted by the West Indies and the United States of America (USA), Cricbuzz reported on Sunday. (More Cricket News)

The information of the threat is reportedly received via "Nashir Pakistan", an Islamic State group-linked propaganda media channel.

The report also quoted Cricket West Indies (CWI) as saying that safety was the top priority for the co-hosts and they have a robust security plan in place.

The security alert received by the authorities reportedly states that, "Pro-Islamic State (IS) media sources have launched campaigns inciting violence against sporting events, which included video messages from the Afghanistan-Pakistan branch, IS Khorasan (IS-K) which highlighted assaults in numerous countries and urged supporters to join the battlefield in their countries."

CWI CEO Jonny Graves said that they will ensure proper planning to mitigate any risks to the event.

"We work closely with authorities in the host countries and cities, and continually monitor and evaluate the global landscape to ensure appropriate plans are in place to mitigate any risks identified to our event," Graves told Cricbuzz.

"We want to assure all stakeholders that safety and security of everyone at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup is our number one priority and we have a comprehensive and robust security plan in place," Graves added.

The report also cited local media articles which talked about the authorities in the islands of Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados monitoring the security situation closely.

The ICC Men's T20 World Cup begins June 1 and goes on till June 29 with USA and the West Indies co-hosting the tournament that will for the first time have 20 teams competing for the trophy.

Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago are the Caribbean islands that will be hosting games. All the Super 8 stage games and the knockouts are scheduled in the West Indies only.

Pakistan, the country from where the threats have reportedly originated, does not play any of its four group games in the West Indies. India also plays all its group games in the USA. India and Pakistan have both been pooled together in Group A and are set to meet on June 9 in New York.

USA, Ireland, and Canada are also in Group A alongside the two arch rivals.