Drama in Dharamsala: Thakur slams Himachal CM

The Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary Anurag Thakur, on Wednesday, blamed the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh for creating an atmosphere of doubt over the India-Pakistan clash scheduled to be held in Dharamsala on March 19.

Thakur's tirade against the Chief Minister comes a day after Pakistan Cricket Board put its team departure on hold following security concerns in the hill station.

The PCB now wants the match to be played elsewhere in India.

"After the directive of the court, the CM saying that atmosphere is not good (in the state), raises a question mark. When you say the match can't take place nine days before the tournament (World T20), I don't think any CM of other states would make a statement like that," Thakur, who also heads Himachal cricket and is a Bharatiya Janata Party MP, said.

Asked on the likely change of venue, Thakur said, "Pakistan and International Cricket Council will do their own assessment. I can only say that a wrong signal has been sent to the world by Himachal CM. His statements nine days before a world event like this could have been avoided. The first match will played in Dharamsala today and CM saying that the the venue is not safe, it dents the image of the state and country," Thakur added.