File photo of Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam (R).© AFP
Indian cricket team’s participation in the Champions Trophy 2025 – to be held in Pakistan – remains in doubt with the BCCI not making any official announcement. The two sides have not played a single bilateral series against each other in almost a decade and the only time they face off is during international and continental competitions. However, Pakistan did travel to India for the 2023 ODI World Cup but India have not take any final decision. While there have been some reports of the tournament adapting a hybrid format, the ICC have no said anything on those lines and Pakistan have reportedly planned India’s matches to be held in Lahore. Former Pakistan skipper Moin Khan fired a warning for India and during an interview with Cricket Pakistan, he said that the BCCI should honour ICC commitments.
“India must honour ICC commitments, and if they don’t, Pakistan should also consider taking a stand by not participating in future tournaments in India,” Moin Khan said.
“In my view, Indian cricket legends should advise the BCCI to keep sports separate from politics. Fans worldwide want India and Pakistan to play, benefiting not just Pakistan but the sport as a whole.”
Meanwhile, Moin also said his son Azam’s confidence had taken a beating because of the way he was treated over the years, and held former PCB chairman Ramiz Raja responsible for the damage done to his son’s career.
Moin, a former wicketkeeper-batter like his son, said that after watching all the matches Pakistan played during the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Americas, he could confidently say that his son was best suited for the role.
“I watched the entire World Cup and the matches leading up to it, and it seemed like Azam was the number one choice for wicket-keeping and batting. Then suddenly, after just one match, the entire strategy was changed,” said Moin, who scored more than 6,000 international runs.
Azam faced considerable ire from fans regarding his fitness, with his golden duck against the United States team not going down well with the cricket-crazy Pakistani supporters. He was dropped in the subsequent match against India.
(With PTI inputs)
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