India-Pakistan face-off: Cricket must go on, says Sanath Jayasuriya

Amidst the growing political unrest between neighbours India and Pakistan, cricket has long been hampered and legendary Sri Lanka cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya commented on the issue saying no matter what, cricket must go on. With the current relation between the two nations, chances of revival of cricketing ties seem to be bleak and the player, while retrieving from commenting on rest of the matter, said cricket and politics are two different genres and one must not affect the other. Recently, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Anurag Thakur had appealed unofficially to International Cricket Council (ICC) that the two teams must not be placed in one group during any cricketing event while Pakistan players like Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal have spoken in favour of the bilateral series to take place. READ: Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal bat for resumption of India-Pakistan bilateral ties

Talking to Times of India, Jayasuriya said, “As a cricketer I feel that the cricket must go on. I can’t comment on the issues between the two countries. Cricket is different and politics is different.”

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Talking about terrorism, he said, “I am a sportsman and I don’t know what to say on this. However, it should be condemned.”

The cricketer was in India to attend a sports meet in Bhopal.

The current Sri Lanka chief selector also commented on the Indian pitches saying there is no problem with them. “It is the nature of soil and climate, which favours turning wickets in this part of the world. Whenever you go other places like Australia or any other country they prepare wickets according to their conditions,” he said.