Pakistan’s former captain Javed Miandad said cricket between Pakistan and India amidst the recent escalation along Line of Control (LoC); however, the sports should be kept separate from politics.
The legend cricketer censured Indian cricket board for shunning playing Pakistan, saying it is an old technique of Indian board as it dreads to play with Pakistan, adding, “India forgets and can overlook virtually everything if driven by its own interests.”
The issue was discussed on the sidelines of the Special General Meeting here against the backdrop of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan.
“Keeping in mind that the government has adopted a new strategy to isolate Pakistan and in view of the public sentiment in the country, we request ICC not to put India and Pakistan in the same pool of the multi-nation tournaments,” of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Anurag Thakur said.
“If the two countries reach the semi-finals and have to clash at that time, it is another situation which can’t be avoided,” he added.
The next multi-nation tournament is the Champions Trophy to be held in the UK about seven months from now.
Considering the traditional rivalry between India and Pakistan, the ICC generally puts the two teams in the same group in multi-nation tournaments to attract more spectators.