Indian cricket’s secretary Anurag Thakur on Wednesday warned Pakistan T20 captain Shahid Afridi to avoid giving political statements, Indian media reported.
Thakur, who is secretary Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), took note of Afridi’s statement during the toss of the crucial World T20 tie between Pakistan and New Zealand in Mohali.
“A lot of people from Kashmir have come to support us,” Afridi had said, prompting the BCCI secretary to go public in condemnation of his words.
“To give a statement like that is not politically correct,” Thakur said, adding: “A player should stay away from all this. That’s the reason why he was criticised in Pakistan.”
The BCCI secretary referred to Afridi’s previous comments of “getting more love in India” that drew sharp criticism from former cricketers and people back home.
Meanwhile, after suffering a defeat against the Kiwis in the crucial match, Afridi indicated at calling it a day when Pakistan face Australia on March 25.
Pakistan lost to New Zealand by 22 runs. Batting first, the Kiwis posted a mammoth 180 to be chased down in 20 overs.
Read more: Bickering and squabbling caused Pakistan’s death in WT20