Shahid Afridi wishes India on Independence Day, hopes for Indo-Pak cricket ties

India is celebrating its 72nd Independence Day on August 15, 2018

Shahid Afridi posing with Indian fans holding the tri-colour | Twitter

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi conveyed his best wishes to India on the special occasion of Independence Day. He also urged the Indians and Pakistanis to work towards peace and prosperity.

Afridi, who enjoys a massive fan following across the border, highlighted that the cordial relationship between the two South Asian neighbours will also help in the resumption of bilateral cricket ties.

“Happy Independence Day to #India, our neighbors across the border. I sincerely hope that from this year onwards, both Pakistan and India work towards resolving their issues for a better, peaceful and prosperous region where India Pak cricket matches can also be frequently held,” Afridi wrote on his official Twitter page.

While India is celebrating its 72nd Independence Day on Wednesday, Pakistan celebrated it a day before on August 14.  

India and Pakistan have not faced each other in a full bilateral series since 2007 and considering the current hostility in diplomatic ties, the bilateral series seems a distant dream right now.

Playing Pakistan has always been a dilemma for the BCCI. Last year, the cricket board had sought clearance from the Indian government to play a bilateral series with the arch-rivals. Amid the tussle between both the countries at the LOC, the request was expectedly turned down by the Indian government.

It is pertinent to mention that both the boards had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2014, as per which the arch-rivals should have played six bilateral series between 2015-2023.

Meanwhile, India and Pakistan are due to play in the forthcoming Asia Cup, scheduled to take place in UAE from September 15 to September 28. Dubai will host the high-voltage India-Pakistan on September 19.  

 
 

By Salman Anjum - 15 Aug, 2018

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