Former captain of the Pakistan cricket team Shahid Afridi has urged a dialogue between politicians from Pakistan and India and their respective cricketing boards (PCB and BCCI) to solve the Asia Cup hosting issue.
“The main problem is we don’t sit together and talk. Politicians should also come together and talk like we are sitting here and talking. They have a huge responsibility,” Afridi opined on the matter.
The former all-rounder also stressed that India has a huge opportunity of taking the first step towards a solution by agreeing to visit Pakistan for the upcoming Asia Cup.
“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 improve. We have played against India with a lot of love and affection. I remember when we came to India, we got an outstanding response,” Afridi continued.
Millions of cricketing fans hold the same sentiment as Shahid Afridi but ultimately the decision rests with BCCI and PCB and the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).
There remains a strong possibility that if India does not visit Pakistan for the Asia Cup, which it remains adamant that it will not, then PCB will not send the Green Shirts to take part in the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup set to take place in India later this year.
There is hope that the two cricketing powerhouses can settle their differences in time before the two tournaments begin but a solution still eludes everyone.
