'We Shouldn't Travel to India for ODI World Cup'- Former Pakistan Cricketers Slam Jay Shah

BCCI secretary and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president, Jay Shah’s comments on shifting Asia Cup 2023 from Pakistan to a neutral venue has garnered severe criticism from several former Pakistan cricketers.

After Shah’s comments Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) released a statement wherein stated that Shah’s comments could hamper Pakistan’s participation in the 2023 World Cup. Following this, several former Pakistan cricketers came in support of PCB, saying that Pakistan should maintain to its stance on the issue.

T20 World Cup 2022: Full Coverage | Schedule | Results | Points Table | Gallery

Earlier, Saeed Anwar and Shahid Afridi had already expressed their disappointment, and now former Pakistan skipper Younis Khan and former wicket-keeper batter Kamran Akmal have also joined the group.

While expressing views on Har Lamha Purjosh, a talk show on cricket by ARY News, both Younis and Akmal agreed that Pakistan should host Asia Cup 2023 in the country regardless of India’s participation.

Younis said, “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.

“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.

Akmal agreed to Younis but went a step further and asked for a complete boycott of India, including the upcoming T20 World Cup game 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 wicket keeper stated.

Also Read | Captain Rohit Sharma Reveals How India Are Gearing up For The Pakistan Clash

He further added, “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."

The whole matter began when Shah, in a statement to ANI said, “We’ll have Asia Cup 2023 at a neutral venue. It’s the government which decides over the permission of our team visiting Pakistan so we won’t comment on that but for the 2023 Asia Cup, it is decided that the tournament will be held at a neutral venue"

This didn’t go well with PCB as they replied with an official statement, shared on their Twitter account.

“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," the release read.

Get the latest Cricket News, Schedule and Cricket Live Scores here