Former Pakistan cricketer Rashid Latif has also commented on the issue. He has said that if India does not come to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy tournament, then Pakistan should stop playing cricket with India.
Why former Pakistan cricketer Rashid Latif raised the demand to end cricket relations with India?
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has informed the ICC that the Indian government has not given permission to travel to Pakistan. Team India will not travel to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy. According to some reports, if this happens, the tournament can be played on a hybrid model. Team India will play their matches in Dubai or Sri Lanka.
But the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is adamant. He wants the entire tournament to be held in Pakistan. Some reports are also saying that the ICC has warned Pakistan. If it does not accept the hybrid model, the entire tournament will be shifted to South Africa.
What did Rashid Latif say in a conversation with PTI?
“I think Pakistan should stop playing cricket with India. If I was in power at PCB, that’s what I would have decided. If you don’t want to play, don’t play. I used to fight against the BCCI.”
“In my opinion, the ICC should take back the hosting rights from the two countries until the issues between them are resolved. Why not India and Pakistan? Because the ICC has a lot at stake in these two countries.”
“This is the first time I will say that BCCI is wrong. They are asking for security. The ICC security team had come here and they had given the green signal for the tournament. If you had a problem, you could tell them.”
The PCB will not be damaged.
Rashid Latif said that if India and Pakistan do not play, the BCCI will suffer, not the PCB. “We haven’t played at home for 12 years. What can be more painful than this? Pakistan will get $34 million every eight years, whether they play with India or not. Rich boards will suffer, not boards like PCB who don’t have money. Pakistan can survive by playing bilateral series even if they don’t play in big ICC tournaments.”
This case has become very hot now. It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming days. Will relations between India and Pakistan deteriorate further? Or is there a way out? Fans just have to wait.
The ICC’s silence has also been questioned.
The ICC’s silence on the matter is questionable. There has been no official statement from the ICC as yet.
“Nobody has seen anything on paper. Everything has to be in writing. We spoke to the PCB, they said they have sent an email to the Pakistan government about it. This is a serious legal issue, nobody is willing to give it in writing.”
