Kamran Akmal has also raised his voice against BCCI and asked the team to boycott upcoming India vs Pakistan match at the T20 World Cup 2022.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah created quite a stir following his statement over India not playing in the Asia Cup 2023 tournament in Pakistan. Shah in his statement had said that India will play the Asia Cup at a neutral venue drawing a strong reaction from the Pakistan Cricket Board which threatened to boycott the ODI World Cup India. Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal has also raised his voice against BCCI and asked the team to boycott upcoming India vs Pakistan match at the T20 World Cup 2022.
Kamran Akmal wants politics to be kept out of sports
Jay Shah in his statement had said that it is the government that decides over the permission of Team India to visit Pakistan so no comments will be made on that but it is decided that the 2023 Asia Cup will be held at a neutral venue. Kamran Akmal while talking to ARY news said, “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,”. He 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.”
Pakistan Cricket Board’s statement after Jay Shah’s comments
Pakistan Cricket Board on Wednesday issued a statement in which it said that it was disappointed with the comments made by BCCI secretary Jay Shah. The board said, “The PCB has noted with surprise and disappointment yesterday’s comments made by the ACC President 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 PCB in its statement also talked about the implication of Jay Shah’s comment about Asian and international cricket and the team’s visit to India to take part in the ICC ODI World Cup and future ICC events in India from 2024 to 2031 cycle. “The overall impact of such statements have the potential to split the Asian and international cricketing communities, and can impact Pakistan’s visit to India for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 and future ICC Events in India in the 2024-2031 cycle.”
“The PCB has to date not received any official communication or clarification from the ACC on the statement of the ACC President. As such, the PCB has now requested the Asian Cricket Council to convene an emergency meeting of its Board as soon as practically possible to discuss this important and sensitive matter,”.
