Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has urged the PCB to avoid sending the national cricket team to India for any events, including ICC tournaments, unless India agrees to play matches in Pakistan.
Speaking at the Urdu Conference at the Karachi Arts Council, Afridi highlighted the importance of the Pakistan Cricket Board adopting a firm stance on its cricketing ties with India. He emphasized that Pakistan should aim for self-reliance to make strong, principled decisions, particularly regarding participation in ICC events like the Champions Trophy.
“Pakistan cricket needs to be strong and self-sufficient. If India refuses to play in Pakistan, there’s no justification for us to participate in events held in India,” Afridi stated.
The Champions Trophy is scheduled to take place in Pakistan from January to March next year. However, India has declined to play its matches in Pakistan, proposing a hybrid model instead, where its games would be held at a neutral venue.
According to an ICC source, a consensus has been reached to adopt the hybrid model for the Champions Trophy, allowing India to play in Dubai. A similar arrangement is reportedly agreed upon “in principle” for multi-nation events until 2027.
Afridi praised the PCB’s stance on the Champions Trophy, which led to delays in finalizing the tournament schedule and venues. He also criticized the ICC, questioning whether its priority was promoting cricket among all member nations or simply focusing on revenue generation.
“The ICC must decide whether it exists to ensure all member nations play cricket or if it is only concerned with making money,” he remarked.
Afridi, who is fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi’s father-in-law, also discussed Pakistan cricket’s internal challenges, particularly the inconsistency in policies with changes in leadership.
“When Shaheen was made T20 captain, I opposed the decision and suggested Muhammad Rizwan as a better option. However, once the decision was made, it was wrong to remove Shaheen after just one series. It impacted him,” Afridi explained.
He expressed faith in young cricketer Saim Ayub’s potential to excel in all formats but lamented Pakistan’s lack of a robust system to identify and properly nurture emerging talent.
“Pakistan has immense talent, but we lose a lot of it because there’s no proper system to identify and groom players effectively,” Afridi concluded.
