India and Pakistan have been put on a collision course after Indian Cricket Board secretary Jay Shah publicly spoke against Pakistan hosting the Asia Cup 2023. What followed was an angry reaction from the PCB as well as Pakistan cricketers.
Players like Saeed Anwar and Shahid Afridi have already expressed their disappointment with Shah’s comments. Now, others have joined in to express a similar feeling of dejection and anger over Shah’s comments. Younis Khan, former Pakistan batter has asked Pakistan to take a firm stance on the issue.
“I think Jay Shah should not have said that but since the bullet has been fired I would ask the PCB to take a firm stance on this issue, just like we did in the past [after New Zealand called off Pakistan’s tour at the eleventh hour] and as you know those teams have begun to tour the country,” said Younis.
“But if they [BCCI] decide to stick with their decision then it should not matter to us if the Indian team does not participate in Asia Cup and we should consider not travelling to India for the ODI World Cup the following year, nor we should agree to host Asia Cup at a neutral venue,” Younis Khan added.
Asia Cup should only be hosted in Pakistan- Kamran Akmal
Another former Pakistan player Kamran Akmal has suggested Jay Shah keep politics out of sports.
“I believe Jay Shah’s statement was unexpected, and since he attended the Pakistan-India game during this year’s Asia Cup, he should reserve politics for his opposition and avoid dragging it into sports,” the former wicketkeeper stated. He has piggybacked on the Pakistan Cricket Board’s stance on the issue and has called for a boycott of the World Cup 2023 which is to be hosted in India.
“Asia Cup should only be hosted in Pakistan and if that does not happen then Pakistan should not play against India at any level, be it ICC events’ matches, Asia Cup matches, or even their match on October 23,” he added.
