Almost all of us know about the recent weak international relationship between Pakistan and India. Both countries have had suspicious and negative thoughts about one another for so long. Recently the impact could be seen in the fields of games too. The tussle was quite clear in front of us since the Pak cricketers got banned from being a part of the Indian Premier League.
Despite all the obstacles, these two countries faced each other in international tournaments. Still, there were controversies regarding some behaviours, statements, etc. The controversy was raised when someone reputed from Pakistan spoke out the quoted,” Hamaari bhi respect hai”, targeting the upcoming Asia Cup 2023.
“Hamaari bhi koi respect hai”:
The Asia Cup row between the BCCI and the PCB is yet to reach a conclusion, with an Asian Cricket Council meeting in March set to decide Pakistan’s fate. But as the Pak board awaits the final quote from the ACC, former Pakistan cricketer Kamran Akmal has slammed BCCI for their Asia Cup stance, urging Pakistan to boycott the impending ODI World Cup 2023.
It all started in October last year when BCCI secretary and ACC chairman Jay Shah dropped a bombshell stating that the Indian cricket team will not be travelling to Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023 and insisted that the venue should be changed for the tournament. In response, PCB threatened to boycott the ODI World Cup, which India will host. The back-and-forth exchanges between the two rival boards were almost set to reach an end at an ACC indoor meeting a few weeks back in Bahrain; but there was no response officially. However, reports claimed that Pakistan is likely not to host the tournament but would retain its hosting rights, with UAE emerging as one of the alternate venues.
Asia Cup Hosting
Although a final decision about the upcoming Asia Cup’s hosting location has been postponed until March this year; it is quite certain that India will not be able to visit the neighbouring nation. Former cricketer Ramiz Raja, who was fired from his position as head of the PCB last year; had threatened to withdraw their national team from the World Cup in response to the BCCI’s decision not to visit Pakistan.
Speaking in an interview at a YouTube channel, ‘Nadir Ali Podcast’, Akmal lashed out at BCCI. He thinks that Pakistan has every right to boycott the ODI World Cup in response to their stance, reminding that the side is former world champions. Kamran Akmal said, “Pakistan should definitely play the Asia Cup 2023, even if it is played in the UAE. But if Indians don’t want to come to Pakistan, we should also not play the World Cup match against them. We should not go for the World Cup. While the decision lies in the hands of the ICC and the PCB; we also have some respect and have been world champions. The issue isn’t between the two boards; it is in the hands of the two governments”.
The reason behind the scenario:
The actual reason behind the scene is not unnatural to the citizens of both nations. The uncompromised international relationship between the two nations let them be involved in such types of complications. Cricket is more than a sport to the countrymen in India, and the BCCI knows that very well. When it comes to India vs Pakistan live match, the country starts boiling up in excitement. But a few unexpected violent incidents that Pakistan must not be tolerated. So, behind the whole situation is unexpected violence and disrespectful behaviour from the Pak side.
The Indian government banned all artists as well as players originating from Pakistan. This is how the cricketers got banned from IPL, and a distance built up between them and our players. BCCI persons think it might be risky or a wrong decision for the Blue brigade to go to Pakistan for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023; as it is the government, moreover, the board’s responsibility to maintain the protection of the players. That is why the board decided not to visit Pakistan for Asia Cup this year.
Last words:
We could understand that Pakistani cricketers and the formers are getting offended as BCCI is supposed to boycott Asia Cup 2023 just because the hosts are not friendly enough. On the other hand, they are also trying to boycott the ODI World Cup that will be hosted in India. However, nothing has been confirmed yet between the two countries; and Kamran Akmal said, “We have to see how long it goes….”
