The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have been at odds recently over a statement made by Jay Shah, the BCCI secretary who also serves as the head of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). Next year’s men’s Asia Cup would not be held in Pakistan, said Shah, who also said that the competition will be held at a different neutral location.
A number of former Pakistani cricketers were incensed by Shah’s remark, and the PCB responded with a strongly worded statement, stressing that their ability to compete in the ODI World Cup, which would be hosted in India the following year, may be affected. Waqar Younis, a former captain of Pakistan, responded to the PCB’s statement by praising the organisation for taking a strong stance and criticising the BCCI for allegedly ‘wanting to harm’ Pakistan cricket.
‘I don’t believe the cricket board is involved. Misbah ne kaha tha ki this is coming from the top, not the cricket board. Unki badi basic policy ki Pakistan ke saath nahi khelna, Pakistan ko tour nahi karna, especially when it comes to cricket, is that zyada log pasand karte hain. (I don’t believe the Indian Cricket Board made this choice. This was coming from the top, according to Misbah’s prior statement. They follow the straightforward approach that they won’t tour or play against Pakistan because so many people follow cricket),’ Younis stated during a talk on A Sports.
Younis also applauded the PCB for its statement in response to Shah’s remarks, saying that Pakistan’s ‘dignity and respect’ are more important than the match.
‘They merely want to harm Pakistan, to put it simply. Pakistan should make a statement, and I believe PCB did so well. More essential than playing cricket with them, we must take care of Pakistani cricket as well as our own respect and dignity. We’ll wait and see what happens over the coming days,’ Younis remarked.
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