‘Bullets fired. Pakistan shouldn’t play vs India in T20 World Cup on October 23′: Younis, Kamran slam Jay Shah
The recent announcement by BCCI secretary and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Jay Shah regarding India’s reservation from traveling to Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023 has met with serious criticism from several ex-cricketers.
Many, who have represented Pakistan at the international level, argued Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to maintain a strong stance, urging not to travel to India for the ICC men’s World Cup, which will be played next year. Some have even gone to the extent of boycotting Sunday’s T20 World Cup match in Melbourne.
While Saeed Anwar and Shahid Afridi have already expressed their disappointment, the latest members to express similar feelings are former Pakistan skipper Younis Khan and ex-wicketkeeper batter Kamran Akmal.
The duo shared their views on the same on Har Lamha Purjosh, a popular talk show on cricket by ARY News. They unanimously agreed that even if India decline to take part PCB should host the tournament in Pakistan.
“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,” he added.
Kamran, on the other hand, went a step further and asked for a complete boycott against India, including the upcoming clash at the T20 World Cup on Sunday.
“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.
“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.
The PCB released an official statement in this regard on Wednesday. “The PCB has noted with surprise and disappointment of yesterday’s comments made by the ACC President Mr. Jay Shah with regards to shifting of next year’s Asia Cup to a neutral venue. The comments were made without any discussion or consultation with the Board of the Asian Cricket Council or the Pakistan Cricket Board (event host) and without any thoughts towards their long-term consequences and implications,” it said in a release.