In the recently concluded 20-20 World Cup, Pakistan lost against England. Before that event, both the Indian and Pakistani Cricket Boards got involved regarding the upcoming edition of the Asia Cup in 2023. Jay Shah said that India will not travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup and the tournament will be shifted to a neutral venue.
Hearing that, the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, Ramiz Raja said that if India decide not to visit Pakistan, then they will not go to India for the 50-over World Cup in 2023. In response to that, the Indian sports minister, Anurag Thakur also came up with a huge claim. Now, the former Pakistani batter, Salman Butt responded to the comments of Anurag Thakur and Ramiz Raja.
“The political aspect is always there, but the main issue is the betterment of cricket” - Salman Butt about Ramiz Raja and Anurag Thakur
While speaking to Urdu News, Ramiz Raja said: “If Pakistan doesn't take part in the World Cup scheduled in India next year, who will watch it? We have a clear stand: If the Indian team comes here then we will go for the World Cup. If they don't come then they can play the World Cup without us. We will adopt an aggressive approach. Our team is showing performance. I've always said we need to improve the economy of Pakistan cricket, and that can only happen when we perform well. In the 2021 20-20 World Cup, we beat India. We beat India in the T20 Asia Cup. In one year, the Pakistan cricket team defeated a billion-dollar economy team twice."
In response to that, Anurag Thakur said: “Wait for the right time. India is a major power in the world of sports and no country can overlook India.” Now, in response to those comments, Salman Butt said: “What can we say? One is the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief and the other is India’s sports minister. It is not going to happen where one will say vanilla ice cream is good and the other party says chocolate, and vice-versa. Some people use this as a podium and stand on it. The political aspect is always there, but the main issue is the betterment of cricket.”
“Ramiz Raja is right. Those who follow Pakistan cricket and are admirers of the team, their interest level will be less if Pakistan doesn’t play. If the India-Pakistan match doesn’t happen, a lot of people who were making profits would end up suffering losses. In a true sense, people want to see India-Pakistan cricket. They want India to come to Pakistan and Pakistan to go to India. They want improvement in relationships,” Butt concluded.
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‘It is not going to happen where…’ - Salman Butt responds to Ramiz Raja and Anurag Thakur’s comment regarding Asia Cup 2023 debacle
The former Pakistani batter shared his views on the recent comments made by Ramiz Raja and the Indian sports minister regarding Asia Cup 2023
Ramiz Raja, Salman Butt, and Anurag Thakur (Image Source: Twitter)
In the recently concluded 20-20 World Cup, Pakistan lost against England. Before that event, both the Indian and Pakistani Cricket Boards got involved regarding the upcoming edition of the Asia Cup in 2023. Jay Shah said that India will not travel to Pakistan for the Asia Cup and the tournament will be shifted to a neutral venue.
Hearing that, the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, Ramiz Raja said that if India decide not to visit Pakistan, then they will not go to India for the 50-over World Cup in 2023. In response to that, the Indian sports minister, Anurag Thakur also came up with a huge claim. Now, the former Pakistani batter, Salman Butt responded to the comments of Anurag Thakur and Ramiz Raja.
“The political aspect is always there, but the main issue is the betterment of cricket” - Salman Butt about Ramiz Raja and Anurag Thakur
While speaking to Urdu News, Ramiz Raja said: “If Pakistan doesn't take part in the World Cup scheduled in India next year, who will watch it? We have a clear stand: If the Indian team comes here then we will go for the World Cup. If they don't come then they can play the World Cup without us. We will adopt an aggressive approach. Our team is showing performance. I've always said we need to improve the economy of Pakistan cricket, and that can only happen when we perform well. In the 2021 20-20 World Cup, we beat India. We beat India in the T20 Asia Cup. In one year, the Pakistan cricket team defeated a billion-dollar economy team twice."
In response to that, Anurag Thakur said: “Wait for the right time. India is a major power in the world of sports and no country can overlook India.” Now, in response to those comments, Salman Butt said: “What can we say? One is the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief and the other is India’s sports minister. It is not going to happen where one will say vanilla ice cream is good and the other party says chocolate, and vice-versa. Some people use this as a podium and stand on it. The political aspect is always there, but the main issue is the betterment of cricket.”
“Ramiz Raja is right. Those who follow Pakistan cricket and are admirers of the team, their interest level will be less if Pakistan doesn’t play. If the India-Pakistan match doesn’t happen, a lot of people who were making profits would end up suffering losses. In a true sense, people want to see India-Pakistan cricket. They want India to come to Pakistan and Pakistan to go to India. They want improvement in relationships,” Butt concluded.