‘If They Aren’t Willing to Play in Pakistan, Then We Shouldn’t…’: Ex-Captain’s Slams BCCI Over Reported Refusal to Play CT 2025 – News18

Former cricketer Basit Ali had reacted strongly to India’s reported reluctance to travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Basit criticised other international cricket boards for aligning with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

“5-6 boards jo haina dum hilate huye woh baat karenge jo Jay Shah bolenge. [There are 5-6 board who will wag their tails and listen to Jay Shah says],” he said on his channel.

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Speaking further the ex-cricketer talked about how if Jay Shah wanted the tournament to be conducted in Pakistan, everyone would listen to him. If the BCCI secretary wanted a hybrid model for the ICC event, everyone would agree to that as well.

Ali also commented on the reports claiming a possible India vs Pakistan bilateral series at a neutral venue. While PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi has denied any such proposal, Ali strongly believes that Pakistan should deny playing against India in a third country.

“The Pakistan board should say no to playing in a third country. If India are not willing to play in our country, then we shouldn’t agree to play the series in another country either,” he said.

Basit Ali’s reaction comes amid the emergence of several reports claiming that India is unlikely to travel to Pakistan for the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. The primary reason behind India’s reluctance to fly to their arch-rival nation is ‘safety’. Given the situation, BCCI is now planning to request ICC to adopt a hybrid model by allocating India’s matches to a different country.

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A similar situation occurred last year in the 2023 Asia Cup. Pakistan were initially named as the official hosts for the tournament. However, with India refusing to play their matches in Pakistan, ACC announced that all of the Men in Blue’s matches will be played in Colombo, Sri Lanka. India beat Pakistan at the neutral venue before defeating Sri Lanka in the final to win the Asia Cup crown.

Due to political tensions, India has refrained from playing in Pakistan for the last 16 years. The 2008 Asia Cup was their final appearance on Pakistan’s soil. The last bilateral series between the two nations was played in 2012-13 with India hosting Pakistan for two T20Is and three ODIs. India and Pakistan have faced each other in only ACC and ICC tournaments in the last 12 years.