The minister in-charge of sports activities in Pakistan, Ehsaan Mazari, has mentioned that if India avoids travelling throughout the border for the Asia Cup, his nation will withdraw from the 2023 World Cup in India.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Mazari mentioned, “My personal opinion, since the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) comes under my ministry, is that if India demands to play their Asia Cup games at a neutral venue, we would also demand the same for our World Cup games in India.”
The assertion got here a day after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif fashioned a high-profile committee to dwell on the difficulty of the nation’s participation within the October-November World Cup that India is internet hosting. Sharing the mandate of the committee Mazari mentioned, “The committee will be headed by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and I am among the 11 ministers who are part of it. We will discuss the issue and give our recommendations to the PM, who is also the patron-in-chief of PCB. The PM will take the final decision.”
Mazari, who heads the Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination that has sports activities underneath its umbrella, mentioned that the Bhutto-headed committee is more likely to share their report with the PM any time subsequent week. That can even be the time when the brand new PCB chief Zaka Asharf will probably be attending an necessary International Cricket Council (ICC) assembly in South Africa. With the BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who can be the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief, additionally in Durban for the meet, dialogue on Asia Cup and World Cup are anticipated to happen.
While the Asia Cup schedule isn’t out but, it’s learnt that there’s a common consensus within the ACC that the occasion will probably be jointly-hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka. India is anticipated to play all their video games in Sri Lanka. However, Mazari mentioned that he wasn’t in favour of this ‘hybrid model’. “Pakistan is the host, it has the right to hold all the matches in Pakistan. That is what the cricket lovers want, I don’t want a hybrid model,” he mentioned.
The minister mentioned that India’s reluctance to play cricket in Pakistan was puzzling to him. “India brings sports into politics. I don’t understand why the Indian government doesn’t want to send their cricket team here. Some time back a huge baseball contingent from India was in Islamabad to play. There was also the bridge team that had travelled to Pakistan. There were around 60 plus people, I was the chief guest of the event. They won here and left. Pakistan’s football, hockey and chess teams also travel to India,” he mentioned.
India captain Rohit Sharma (left) with Pakistan skipper Babar Azam forward of their match on the 2022 T20 World Cup. (FILE)
When requested about India’s long-standing reservation concerning the safety of their cricketers in Pakistan, Mazari says that “it wasn’t a solid argument”. “The New Zealand team was here, before that the England cricket team was in Pakistan. They got presidential security. Earlier, the Indian team was given a hearty welcome by the fans here. Security is an excuse. We also held the Pakistan Super League (PSL) that had so many foreign players,” he mentioned.
Mazari appealed for the resumption of cricket excursions between the 2 international locations. “It is one the most-watched cricket games on TV. We want that, we want healthy cricket to be played. We expect a positive response from India,” he mentioned.
Meanwhile, ICC, up to now, has urged Pakistan to journey to India for the World Cup. “Pakistan have signed a participation agreement to compete and we expect them to be there and have had no indications to the contrary,” an ICC assertion. “All members have to abide by the rules and the laws of their country and we respect that. But we’re confident Pakistan will be in India for the Men’s Cricket World Cup.”
The minister additionally reacted to the earlier PCB chairman Najam Sethi’s touch upon BCCI slotting Pakistan’s World Cup recreation in opposition to India at Ahmedabad. In an interview to this paper Sethi had mentioned, “When I heard this assertion (India to play Pakistan in Ahmedabad), I smiled and mentioned to myself – ‘this is one way to make sure we don’t come to India’.
Mazari expressed no such reservations. “I don’t think Ahmedabad will be an issue. Pakistan has played there earlier. But before that there should be a positive response from India. India should play in Pakistan. Zaka Ashraf (PCB chairman) has gone to South Africa and so let’s see what is decided and what happens,” he mentioned.
