Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja just disclosed why he was upset about India’s hesitation to travel to Pakistan for the 2023 Asia Cup.
Conversation on his YouTube channel on Monday, December 26, Ramiz mentioned that Pakistan had a possibility to host a major tournament on their home soil after many years. He also stated that he was disappointed to see India hard to move the competition to a neutral venue.
He stated that it was unfair to Pakistan, which is why he responded by threatening to pull out of next year’s 50-over World Cup in India if the BCCI did not send their squad to Pakistan for the international event. Ramiz Raja clarified:
“It all started when India decided not to tour Pakistan for the Asia Cup and was against conducting the tournament here. We all know that there has been a famine in cricket in Pakistan, given that the big teams weren’t keen to travel here for tours. We got a major tournament after a very long wait, and that is why we had to take a stand.
“Leadership is very important when you are running cricket. England refused to come to Pakistan, but they came when we challenged them. The same goes for New Zealand. Both teams agreed to play extra matches. We had to take a stand because something unfair was happening.”
He proposed that no other Asian team apart from India had any idea about the Asia Cup currently happening in Pakistan.
Ramiz also disclosed that he had made it clear to captain Babar Azam that they will have to beat the Indian side so that the Men in Green are taken honestly by them. The former PCB chairman additional:
“Not letting the Asia Cup take place in Pakistan, that too without any conversation, or any committee was not right. No other member of the Asia Cup had any idea about it. When you try to boss any country, it hurts. So in India, they would paint this situation differently. They would think, ‘How can Pakistan challenge us? They don’t have any existence.’
“That is why I would always tell Babar Azam that it was very important for us to win against India. India is not going to regard us as a superpower in cricket unless there is competition.”
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