Kirti Azad: Refusing to play Pakistan not a political matter
Kirti Azad: Refusing to play Pakistan not a political matter
New Delhi: Responding to a letter from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Shahryar Khan to the BCCI, former Indian cricketer 56-year old Kirti Azad said there is no need to play any kind of cricket with Islamabad and added that this was not political matter. “I don’t think there is a need for any cricket with Pakistan. People might say that it is politics, but it is not,” Azad told ANI. He added that Pakistan should realise that terror and talks can’t go together. Khan had asked the BCCI to confirm the scheduled December bilateral series in the UAE. READ: Shahryar Khan writes to Anurag Thakur seeking update on India-Pakistan series
Kirti Azad’s response has come as a welcome relief since Shahryar Khan said that Pakistan cricket will not die if Pakistan does not play India. He later said that politics should not be mixed-up in sports and cricket in general. Meanwhile Pakistan is awaiting the green light from New Delhi for a proposed cricket series in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) starting in December 2015, the first between the South Asian rivals since 2007. Khan said he hoped the talks would help. Khan had said, “Indian board wants conducive political atmosphere for cricket but our view is that cricket and politics must be kept apart.” READ: Kirti Azad recalls 26/11 attacks in wake of Indo-Pak cricket revival