Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi reacted to BCCI secretary Jay Shah’s statement, confirming that India will not tour for the Asia Cup 2023 which is to be hosted by Pakistan in the 50-over format.
BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who started the second term in office on Tuesday, said the India board will demand the tournament to be moved to a neutral location, something which was done in 2018 as well when India was to host the tournament, but Pakistan’s refusal to cross the border led to the event to be shifted to UAE.
Both India and Pakistan last played a bilateral series in 2012-13, while India last visited Pakistan in 2008 for the Asia Cup. But after that, the political tensions between the two sides post the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, led to the suspension of cricket.
Shah is also the president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and as such, his statement would, more or less, end any possibility of the tournament being held in Pakistan.
“The Asia Cup 2023 will be held at a neutral venue. I am saying this as ACC President. We [India] can’t go there [to Pakistan], they can’t come here. In the past also, the Asia Cup has been played at a neutral venue,” Shah told ANI after the 91st BCCI annual general meeting in Mumbai.
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This has led to some furious reactions from across the border in Pakistan with many former cricketers and experts slamming BCCI for their stance of not sending the Indian team to Pakistan for the much-valued Asia Cup tournament.
One of them was Shahid Afridi, who slammed BCCI secretary Jay Shah for making the statement of India not touring Pakistan just a couple of days before the two teams are slated to clash in the T20 World Cup 2022 in MCG on October 23rd.
“When excellent comradery between the 2 sides in the past 12 months has been established that has created good feel-good factor in the 2 countries, why BCCI Secy will make this statement on the eve of #T20WorldCup match? Reflects lack of cricket administration experience in India,” Afridi tweeted.
