Former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin shared a shared his displeasure on India – Pakistan match in the Asia Cup getting thd green light after it was recently confired that the arch rivals have been put in the same group at the tournament will face each other on 14 September. Notably, India are the official hosts of the tournament but it will be held in UAE from 9 September to 28 September.
Speaking to media about the Asia Cup match, Azharuddin seemed to be calling out the double standards of the Indian cricket board, stating that if the two teams do not play each other for bilateral matches, they should also not compete in multilateral tournaments.
“I always say that everything should happen, or if it does not happen, then it should not happen at all. If you’re not playing bilateral matches, then you shouldn’t play international events too, that’s what I believe. But whatever the government and the board decide will happen…”. Azharuddin said.
Azharuddin on IND vs PAK WCL match:
The comments by Azharuddin came just a week after Yuvraj Singh led India Champions had refused to play with the Pakistan Champions at Edgbaston in the World Championhip of Legends. The former players had decided to not play the neighbours owing to heightened tensions between the two countries in the wake of gruesome terror attack in Pahalgam, followed by Operation Sindoor.
Drawing parallels between WCL and Asia Cup, Azharuddin noted, “The veterans’ league is not official, it’s not sanctioned by the ICC or the BCCI, it’s conducted privately but the Asia Cup is a tournament governed by the ACC,”
Notably, Asian Cricket Council President and Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi had announced the dates for 17th edition of the Asia Cup on Saturday. The tournament, which will be played in T20 format, will feature 8 teams competing for the marquee trophy.
India and Pakistan have been included in Group A which also includes Oman and UAE. Meanwhile, Group B includes Bangladesh, Hong Kong Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.
Top two teams in each group will move to the Super Four stage where finalists would be decided. The format of tournament is such that there could be as many as three IND – PAK matches, given that both teams qualify for the final.