Pakistani cricket legend Javed Miandad has made a bizarre and insensitive remark over BCCI’s refusal to send the Indian team to Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023. Earlier, the PCB threatened to pull out of the World Cup but has mellowed over the last few months. On Tuesday, another report emerged which stated that as per ICC sources, Pakistan could prefer playing their World Cup matches in Kolkata and Chennai. However, amid this whole controversy, Miandad's extremely uncomfortable remark is sure to make matters worse. On an episode on the Nadir Ali podcast, Miandad was asked about his views on India's refusal to travel to Pakistan due to 'security' concerns, to which the former captain said: "Forget security. "We believe that agar maut aani hai toh aani hai. Zindagi aur maut toh allah ke haath mein hai" (If you're destined to die, you will die. Life and death is in the hands of the almighty). If they call us today, we will go. But they should return too. The thing is the last time we went, but they haven't come here since. It's their turn now."
Ever since the horrific Mumbai terrorist attacks of 2008, India have severed all its cricketing ties with Pakistan – there was a small tour in 2012 but that's it. Pakistan's cricketers are not allowed to play in the IPL and the only India-Pakistan matches that take place are during ICC events and Asia Cup. In February of 2019, when India was hurt by the tragic Pulwama attacks, many wanted the Indian team to boycott their World Cup match against Pakistan, but the match went ahead. Earlier this month, another former Pakistan captain and all-rounder Imran Khan – who also served as the country's Prime Minister, lashed out at the BCCI, alleging it to be 'arrogant' and behaving like a 'superpower'. "It is a sad and unfortunate affair, the relationship between Pakistan and India. There is a lot of arrogance in the way India now behaves in the cricketing world as a superpower. Because of their ability to generate a lot of funds, more than any other country, I think they almost dictate now as a sort of the arrogance of a super power of who they should play and who they shouldn't," Imran told Times Radio.
