Javed Miandad, a former Pakistani cricket captain, has strongly criticized the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for their inflexible attitude towards not visiting Pakistan for the 2023 Asia Cup.
“If India doesn’t want to come to Pakistan to play cricket, they can go to hell,” Miandad stated at a recent public event. “I have always supported Pakistan and you know that I don’t spare India whenever there is a problem. But the truth is, we need to focus on our own actions and fight for what’s right. We don’t care if India doesn’t come, because we will still host our cricket. This is the job of the ICC. If they can’t control this situation, then their existence as a governing body is pointless. They need to enforce similar rules for all teams. If teams like India refuse to play, they should be banned. India can do as they please, it’s not for our benefit.”
After the recent meeting of the Asian Cricket Council, the BCCI made their position clear regarding the Indian team not traveling to Pakistan for the upcoming Asia Cup. The reason given was that they will not receive “clearance from the Indian government” to travel to Pakistan due to the strained diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Miandad, on the other hand, believes that India’s decision not to play in Pakistan is due to their fear of losing to the latter on their home turf.
He stated, “Why don’t they come and play? They always run away. It becomes a problem for them if they come here and lose to us. Their public can’t handle it. It’s always been like this. In our time, they wouldn’t play for the same reason. Riots and conflicts would occur. The crowd there is very hostile. You must have seen what happens whenever India loses, to anyone, the crowd burns down houses. When we used to play, they faced such troubles.”
“They are bad losers. The public there needs to understand that cricket is just a sport. If you don’t play well, you deserve to lose. If I play well, I deserve to win. Instead, they should focus on other things. What’s the point of that? I say this to the ICC, if anyone resorts to such behavior, the ICC needs to be firm. If it’s India, so what? If any country acts this way, the ICC needs to take action. Such teams should be removed to teach them a lesson.”
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is eager to host the 2023 Asia Cup in the ODI format and has highlighted the visits of international teams to the country to alleviate players’ safety concerns after a decade-long hiatus due to terrorist attacks during the Sri Lanka tour of Pakistan. Teams such as England, New Zealand, and Australia have toured Pakistan in the past year and played Test cricket. The PCB desires to restore its cricketing relationship with the Indian team, however, the BCCI appears to be hesitant to travel to Pakistan.
Due to the BCCI’s stance, the tournament is likely to be moved from Pakistan to another location, with the PCB still maintaining the rights to host it, similar to how Sri Lanka hosted it in the UAE last year during a time of unrest in their country due to economic crises.