“Before this, an Indian from Mumbai, won’t take his name, had threatened Pakistan that they won’t be allowed in India..” – Shahid Afridi recalls that Pakistan team still went to India despite threats

The BCCI and PCB, together with the other members of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), are planning to meet in Dubai to settle the long-running issue over the Asia Cup 2023. Reports from the latest ACC conference, which took place last month in Bahrain, indicated that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will replace Pakistan as the tournament’s host, despite the lack of an official announcement to that effect. 

Former Pakistani captain Shahid Afridi has spoken out on the controversy, saying that Pakistan is eager to welcome the Indian squad to the event, and he has encouraged the BCCI to put aside political issues and send their side.

BCCI secretary and ACC head Jay Shah said in October 2022 that the Indian cricket squad will not be visiting Pakistan for the next Asia Cup. Frustrated by the statement, the PCB threatened to pull out of the 2023 ODI World Cup in Pakistan if the country was denied hosting the 2023 Asia Cup. The PCB had questioned the statement’s reasoning without first consulting the board and the other members of the ACC.

Although Afridi did not want to identify the Indian who had threatened the Pakistan squad in the past, he did say that the two countries’ governments had put their problems aside to send the team to India.

What did Shahid Afridi say?

“Aap Indian team ko bheje toh sahi, humlog sar aankhon par rakhenge (You just send the Indian team to Pakistan and we will welcome them with great pleasure). Before this, an Indian from Mumbai, won’t take his name, had threatened Pakistan that they won’t be allowed in India. But we kept all aside and our government had taken it up as a responsibility and Pakistan team did go to India. So threats should not ruin our relationship. Threats will remain,” he said.

For another example, the ex-all-rounder brought up India’s tour to Pakistan in 2004/05, namely how players like Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh were treated with awe by the locals.

“It would have been really nice if India had come. It would have been a step towards cricket and Pakistan for India. This is not a generation of wars and fights, we want relationships to get better. We have played against India with a lot of love and affection. I remember when we came to India, we got an outstanding response. If you remember the 2005 series, Harbhajan and Yuvraj used to go shopping and to restaurants, and no one used to charge them money. This is the beauty of the two nations,” he said.

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