Pakistan’s former cricketer Shahid Afridi has once again stirred controversy in the aftermath of New Zealand cancelling their tour to Pakistan saying ‘Educated nations should not follow India’, after it was suspected that India was behind the cancellation of tour.
Afridi said what New Zealand have done is ‘unforgivable’ for Pakistan as the Black Caps pulled out of the tour at the last minute.
Afridi believes instead of deciding to call off the tour, New Zealand should have discussed the situation with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
“We all know that there is a huge amount of scrutiny when it comes to arranging tours. Proper investigations are conducted by the security members of the touring nation. The routes are defined and only when the process is completed, that is when the teams are given the green signal to visit the country,” Afridi was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
“New Zealand cricketers are loved in Pakistan and for them to do something like this is unforgivable. If there was any potential threat, they should have been shared with the PCB and waited for Pakistan’s security forces to assess the situation,” the former Pakistan cricketer added.
Days after New Zealand abandoned their tour of Pakistan and returned home, England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) also announced the withdrawal of England’s tour of Pakistan. ECB confirmed that it won’t be able to honour its commitment of sending its men’s and women’s teams to Pakistan.
Shahid Afridi courts controversy
Shahid Afridi known for making comments against India has reacted to reports that the email which prompted New Zealand to cancel their tour of Pakistan, originated from India, Afridi made an absurd remark stating that India is after Pakistan but other ‘educated nations’ should not make the same mistake.
“If you have to look at the bigger picture then I think we need to take a decision which shows the world that we are also a country and we have our pride. It’s ok if one country is behind us but I don’t think other countries should also make the same mistake. They are all educated nations and should not follow India,” said Afridi.
“Instead, cricket should improve relations. Situation was bad in India. We were getting threats. Our board asked us to go and we went there. If you trust false e-mails and cancel tours then I believe you are offering them fodder to win. This is not the right way.”