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The Asia Cup 2023 is just around the corner but there is still a big question mark over where it will be helped. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have stood their grounds. While PCB is adamant of hosting the tournament, BCCI secretary Jay Shah had made it clear that India will not go to Pakistan. There have also been talks of organizing it at a neutral venue but PCB has threatened to pull out of ODI World Cup 2023 if Team India doesn’t come for Asia Cup.
In a special conversation with Sports Tak, former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi said that India should take the first step to improve the relation between the two countries. Afridi said that whenever Team India toured Pakistan, the players have got special treatment from Pakistan fans and team. Afridi recalled India’s tour of Pakistan in 2005 when no shopkeeper used to take money from Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh.
“It would have been a great thing if India had come here. India should take necessary steps for the best of cricket and Pakistan. We want the relations between the two countries to be better. This is not a period of fighting. In the past also we have played with each other with love. I remember when we came to India, people gave us a lot of love. If you remember the 2005 series, it was tremendous. Bhajji and Yuvi used to do shopping in Pakistan and no one used to take money from them. This is the beauty of both the countries,” Asia Lions skipper Afridi said on the sidelines of Legends League Cricket (LLC).
India toured Pakistan for the last time in the year 2008 during the Asia Cup. And the bilateral series took place in the year 2006. In the year 2012-13, there was a small series on Indian soil. While Pakistan last toured India in the year 2016 T20 World Cup. The 43-year-old had a request for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He feels that the leaders of both countries need to sit together to find a solution.
“The leaders will have to sit together and take full responsibility because this is the solution. I would request Mr. Modi to improve the relations between India and Pakistan and arrange a match between the two teams,” the former Pakistan all-rounder said.
Apart from India-Pakistan relations, Afridi also spoke about skipper Babar Azam’s strike rate in T20Is.
“Babar is still the number 1 but he will have to do wonders in T20. Many batsmen are doing well in the Pakistan Super League and I hope one of them comes and supports Babar in the best possible way. Babar takes time to build his innings and in such a situation, if the other batsman plays fast then Babar will be benefited,” he opined.
