Former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has condemned the martyrdom of more than 40 CRPF troopers in the cowardly Pulwama attack that shook India on February 14. On the other hand, he also acknowledged that Team India has all the right to pull out of the ICC World Cup 2019 clash with Pakistan. However, the Rawalpindi Express also criticized the former Indian cricketers for antagonizing the situation.
In a conversation with a Pakistani news channel, Shoaib said that sports and politics shouldn’t intersect. But India, who have been back-stabbed by the attack, can choose to not play a country that has taken responsibility for the attacks.
As per the quotes in Times Now, Akhtar said, “Should sports stay political? Not at all. So these differences set in matters of circumstances. We strongly condemn the loss of lives. But when it comes to our country, we are one nation, united and we will stand by our Prime Minister’s statement without having a second thought. They have a right to pull out. Their country was attacked and hence the decision. You cannot argue on that?”
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A lot of former Indian cricketers took to various social media platforms and suggested a complete ban on cricketing ties with Pakistan, which Akhtar feels is wrong. According to him, Indian cricketers are politicizing the situation.
Shoaib elaborated, “Our forte is to talk about cricket and not about the political scene. When such things happen, try to create bridges as a cricketer. It is very important as players to talk about things that bring about unity rather than antagonizing the situation.”
However, Akhtar also reckons that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has often expressed that it wants to play a bilateral series against Pakistan, but the Indian government has stopped them every time.
Giving his honest opinion, Shoaib said, “Honest reply, BCCI wants to play with Pakistan, the government says no. Had they played with Pakistan, Star Sports and BCCI would have earned the maximum revenue. The series would have a monetary value of 600 million dollars. Do you think they don’t? Of course, they want that. Our Pakistan board had mentioned that they want to play a bilateral series and you cannot deny it although the series can be held at a different venue altogether. But they have said that they have a board to run which falls under Supreme Court. That is their argument and that is logical.”
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Meanwhile, the BCCI and CoA are yet to take a final decision on the issue as they will be having a meeting on Friday to discuss on the same and will also seek the advice from the Sports Ministry if the need arises.
