‘Go and play – go, play and win’- Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi unhappy with Pakistan Cricket Board’s decision of not playing in Ahmedabad

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and Indian Cricket Board have both accepted Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) hybrid concept for the 2023 Asia Cup. The attention is now going to the ODI World Cup, which will be staged in India later this year.

The Cricket Governing Body should have revealed the schedule by now, there are still a few finalisations to be made, the most important of which concerns the PCB, which has expressed reservations over the blockbuster group game versus India in Ahmedabad. Former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi was enraged by the PCB’s attitude, questioning the reasoning behind their refusal to play at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

Why are they declining to play on Ahmedabad pitches?: Shahid Afridi

According to various reports, the Indian Cricket Board has already provided a final draft of the World Cup schedule, which begins on October 5 and concludes on October 15 with a blockbuster match. The timetable was subsequently distributed to all participating countries for comments. Pakistan then rejected participation in Ahmedabad, one of four cities where the Babar Azam-led team would participate.

In an interview with a local news program, Afridi asked the PCB to set aside their reservations and enable the Pakistan squad to compete. He preferred to endorse the team to defeat India in Ahmedabad. Afridi questioned, “Why are they declining to play on Ahmedabad pitches? Does it hurl fire or is it haunted?”

The former Pakistan skipper added, “Go and play – go, play and win. If these are the foreseen challenges, then the only way to overcome them is through a comprehensive victory. What matters at the end of the day is Pakistan team’s win. The crux only and only lies in there. Take this rather positively. If they [India] are comfortable there, you should go, pull a victory in front of packed Indian crowd and show them what you got.”

According to a source, the Cricket Governing Body officials met with PCB chairman Najam Sethi in Pakistan, who informed them that the squad will not play a World Cup game in Ahmedabad unless it is a knockout match.