Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh has been vocal in supporting the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) decision to not send the Indian team to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Singh, a 2011 World Cup winner, has said that security concerns in Pakistan are a major factor in this decision.
In his recent statements, Singh stressed that player safety should be the top priority. He was quoted by IANS saying, “Why should the Indian team go to Pakistan? The security issue there is significant. The situation in Pakistan is such that incidents occur almost every day. I don't think it's safe to go there. The stance of the BCCI is absolutely correct, and nothing is more important than the safety of our players.”
Singh’s comments have drawn criticism from Pakistani journalists and former cricketers, who have targeted him on social media. In response to this criticism, Singh used the opportunity to highlight historical security issues in Pakistan.
Pakistani journalist Farid Khan had mocked Singh by sharing a scorecard from India’s 2006 tour of Pakistan, where Singh was hit for four sixes by Shahid Afridi. In retaliation, Singh retweeted the post with a screenshot from a 2009 newspaper reporting on the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team’s bus in Lahore. Singh used this to underline ongoing security concerns in Pakistan.
In his response, Singh captioned the post: “No not for this. Cricket Mai Jeet har lagi rehti hai. I will tell u the real problem is this . Check the photo ⬇️ . Now get the F…. out of here . F ka Matlab samaj aa gya hoga ya samjau? F means ur name . Plz don’t think what u r thinking th meaning of F. You know what I mean ✌️Peace.”
The 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team and previous incidents, including New Zealand’s abandonment of their Test series in 2002 and Australia’s cancelled tour, have raised long-standing safety concerns for teams touring Pakistan.
