Former Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt has questioned India’s stance of withdrawing from the match against their neighbours in the World Championship of Legends, adding that if India are so firm on their decision of not playing Pakistan, the teams shouldn’t face off in ICC tournaments either.
A veterans’ cricket game involving India and Pakistan in the tournament in Birmingham on Sunday, July 20, was cancelled after Indian cricketers, including Shikhar Dhawan, refused to be a part of it, citing the Pahalgam terror attack three months back.
The second edition of the England and Wales Cricket Board tournament, which is co-owned by Bollywood star Ajay Devgn, began on July 18 at Edgbaston in Birmingham and is scheduled for an August 2 final.
“The whole world is talking about them. What message have they sent to cricket as a whole and to the fans? What are you trying to show? What are you trying to prove? Now don’t play in the World Cup…don’t play against us in any ICC tournament. Make this a promise,” Butt said while speaking on his YouTube channel.
“See, we understand that everything has its place. But now that you are interlinking, don’t play against us at any level or tournament. Not even the Olympics. Please do that. I would love to see,” Butt said.
“What is this mindset? I just can’t understand. Who is making this decision? Those 4-5 people who decided not to play, because of them, others, who probably had the mindset to play, felt pressured,” Butt added.
The former Pakistan cricketer said that the country wouldn’t forget what India pulled off at the World Championship of Legends, adding that they will keep reminding them of their nationalism if they break their stance in ICC tournaments.
World Cup winner Yuvraj Singh is the skipper of the India Champions, while the team features the likes of Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, Yusuf and Irfan Pathan, Suresh Raina, Robin Uthappa and Varun Aaron among others.
The WCL organisers shared a statement on their X account, detailing the decision to cancel and said that their intention while holding the game was to recreate some “happy memories.”
