PCB lacks guts to skip ICC event: Danish Kaneria
Danish Kaneria, a former spinner for Pakistan, has poked fun at PCB president Ramiz Raja for threatening to boycott the 2023 ODI World Cup in India if the BCCI doesn’t send Men in Blue to Pakistan for the Asia Cup the following year.
If the Men in Blue fail to make it to Pakistan for the 2023 Asia Cup, according to Ramiz Raja, the Pakistan cricket team won’t go to India for the 50-over World Cup. The executive board of the Asian Cricket Council decided that Pakistan would host the upcoming Asia Cup in 2019.
Kaneria stated that the PCB lacks the courage to boycott an ICC event, and even if they do, it will be Pakistan’s loss, not India’s, because the BCCI does not care whether Pakistan attends or does not participate in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
“The PCB does not have enough guts to boycott an ICC event. India, on the other hand, don’t care if Pakistan don’t come. They have a huge market that generates a lot of revenue. Not traveling to India for the World Cup will have a major effect on Pakistan,” Danish Kaneria said on his YouTube channel.
“Pakistan will ultimately travel to India for the World Cup. Officials will say that they had no other option as there was pressure from the ICC. It will hurt Pakistan cricket badly if they talk about skipping an ICC event again and again,” Kaneria added.
Kaneria advised Ramiz to avoid making such remarks due to Pakistan’s current state, as there is still plenty of time before the Asia Cup in 2023, and such a statement could also lead Bangladesh and Afghanistan to boycott the tournament in Pakistan.
PCB lacks guts to skip ICC event: Danish Kaneria
“There is still a lot of time for the Asia Cup. We can’t be sure that everything will be fine in the country by then or if the tournament will be conducted on Pakistani soil or not. We don’t know what the situation will be like during that time. It could also be possible that, apart from India, teams like Bangladesh and Afghanistan also refuse to travel to Pakistan. The people of Pakistan want the Asia Cup to be played in their country. However, you have to remain on the back foot because of the situation of the nation,” Kaneria further said.
