Former India captain Kapil Dev has criticised Pakistan’s decision to skip their World Cup match against India, which is scheduled to be played on February 15 in Colombo. The 1983 World Cup winner said such a move would hurt the nation’s cricketing future and affect its players.
Reacting to the issue, the former all-rounder said the decision would be unfair to Pakistan’s own players. “If the decision was taken by the players, they can come out and say so,” Kapil said on NDTV. “However, if the board says that you will not play, the reputation of the country goes down. It is not looking bright for Pakistan. You are killing a generation. Pakistan have given us fantastic talents over the years. But if you do not allow these boys to play in the World Cup, you are killing a generation and hurting the game. You are being unfair to your own players.”
As India versus Pakistan is one of the most anticipated matches, Kapil believes that if the issue is not resolved, it will affect the fans. “The emotions and spectators will be impacted. But in the long run, no one will miss them. People will not think about it for a long time, and they will ultimately move on,” he added.
Meanwhile, the ICC has made it clear that refusing to play scheduled matches goes against the rules of the tournament. In an official statement on February 1, the ICC stated: “The ICC hopes that the PCB will consider the significant and long-term implications for cricket in its own country, as this is likely to impact the global cricket ecosystem, of which it is itself a member and beneficiary.”
Amid the uncertainty surrounding the India–Pakistan game, the Salman Ali Agha-led Pakistan team has already reached Colombo, where they will play their warm-up match against Ireland.
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