The love for cricket across India and Pakistan has never been hidden from the outer world. Both countries house millions of cricket-crazy people who just wait to see a clash between their teams in the ICC events. But the current equation between both cricket boards doesn’t seem fine at all.
It all started when newly-appointed Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Jay Shah said Team India won’t travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023. The statement wasn’t welcomed by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ramiz Raja who replied by saying if that’s the case, then the Babar Azam-led side shall also not go to India for the 50-over World Cup next year. And recently, he added that the viewership of the showpiece might take a hit if Pakistan pull out.
“In the 2021 T20 World Cup, we beat India. We beat India in the T20 Asia Cup. In one year, the Pakistan cricket team defeated a billion-dollar economy team twice,” Raja had told Urdu News.
Reacting to Raja’s words, Indian Sports minster Anurag Thakur reminded Raja that India can’t be overlooked by any country.
“Wait for the right time. India is a major power in the world of sports and no country can overlook India,” Thakur, who had also served as the BCCI president, was quoted as saying by ANI.
Adding to this debate, former Pakistan Salman Butt agreed with Raja’s statement and said the interest levels will be less if there is no India vs Pakistan game in an ICC event.
“What can we say? One is the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief and the other is India’s sports minister. It is not going to happen where one will say vanilla ice cream is good and the other party says chocolate, and vice-versa. Some people use this as a podium and stand on it. The political aspect is always there, but the main issue is the betterment of cricket,” Butt said.
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“Ramiz Raja is right. Those who follow Pakistan cricket and are admirers of the team, their interest level will be less if Pakistan doesn’t play. If the India-Pakistan match doesn’t happen, a lot of people who were making profits would end up suffering losses. In a true sense, people want to see India-Pakistan cricket. They want India to come to Pakistan and Pakistan to go to India. They want improvement in relationships,” Butt added.
India and Pakistan recently met in the T20 World Cup in Melbourne where Virat Kohli played a memorable 82 not-out, guiding India to a famous five-wicket win.
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