Legendary India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar took a brutal swipe over the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for their decision to boycott the T20 World Cup clash against India that was scheduled to take place on February 15. An official X account of the Pakistan government revealed this development on Sunday and it has been making headlines since then. While the Men in Green have been cleared the participate in the tournament, they will not be taking the field specifically for the clash against their arch-rivals.
Gavaskar remarked that it will not be a big surprise if Pakistan takes a U-tun on their decision as many of their players have reversed retirements in the past and have often gone back on major decisions.
“I think in the next four or five days, when reactions start pouring in from across the world and even from their former players, there is a possibility that Pakistan will change their stance,” Gavaskar said on Sports Tak.
“What’s new in this? We all know Pakistan cricketers retire and then, four days later, take back their retirement, saying ‘our fans told us to play more’. This might happen again. What’s the problem with making U-turns in your decisions? There’s no issue, as far as I know. Pakistan players have set examples. They keep coming back from retirement. So something like that might happen before the 15th" he added.
Gavaskar urges ICC to take action
Gavaskar has also urged the International Cricket Council (ICC) to take appropriate action against the PCB as they do not have any valid reason to justify their boycott of the clash against India.
“If Pakistan does not have a valid reason to justify withdrawing from the big match against India, or if they cannot show grounds for breaching the contract, then action will be taken by the ICC Board,” Gavaskar further said.
T20 World Cup right around the corner
Meanwhile, both India and Pakistan will begin their T20 World Cup campaigns on February 7 with the clash against USA and Netherlands respectively. The two of them are placed in Group A and it remains to be seen if Pakistan will end up taking a U-turn on their decision to boycott the game against India or not.