Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria reacted to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ramiz Raja's recent bombshell statement of boycotting the 2023 ODI World Cup in India if BCCI doesn't send Men in Blue to Pakistan for the Asia Cup next year.
This came after BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who was also the chief of ACC, confirmed that the tournament will likely be shifted to a neutral venue as India will not be traveling to Pakistan for Asia Cup.
Well now, Kaneria took a dig at Raja by saying that the PCB does not have the guts to boycott an ICC event, and even if they do that, it would not be India’s loss but Pakistan's, as the BCCI doesn't care if Pakistan comes or not for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
Danish Kaneria said on his YouTube channel: “The PCB does not have enough guts to boycott an ICC event. India, on the other hand, doesn't care if Pakistan don't come. They have a huge market that generates a lot of revenue. Not traveling to India for the World Cup will have a major effect on Pakistan.”
The former spinner continued, “Pakistan will ultimately travel to India for the World Cup. Officials will say that they had no other option as there was pressure from the ICC. It will hurt Pakistan cricket badly if they talk about skipping an ICC event again and again.”
Meanwhile, Kaneria suggested Ramiz avoids making such comments owing to the condition of the country, as there is still a lot of time before the Asia Cup in 2023, and such a statement might also lead Bangladesh and Afghanistan to boycott the tournament in Pakistan.
He further explained, “There is still a lot of time for the Asia Cup. We can't be sure that everything will be fine in the country by then or if the tournament will be conducted on Pakistani soil or not. We don't know what the situation will be like during that time.”
Kaneria signed off by saying, “It could also be possible that, apart from India, teams like Bangladesh and Afghanistan also refuse to travel to Pakistan. The people of Pakistan want the Asia Cup to be played in their country. However, you have to remain on the back foot because of the situation of the nation.”
