Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi expressed his displeasure with New Zealand and England’s withdrawals from their respective tours of Pakistan, calling the Kiwis’ actions “unforgivable.”
Following allegations of a security danger, New Zealand opted to cancel the rest of their visit just hours before the first ODI in Rawalpindi on September 17.
Shahid Afridi, speaking on the subject, said that the Kiwi players are well-liked in Pakistan, but that they committed the “unforgivable” act of withdrawing without addressing the “possible threat.”
“In Pakistan, New Zealand cricketers are idolised, so doing anything like this is unacceptable. If there was a potential threat, they should have been shared with the PCB and the matter should have been assessed by Pakistan’s security services “Shahid Afridi told Cricket Pakistan
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed the cancellation of England’s tour of Pakistan just days after New Zealand ended their trip and returned home. The ECB has stated that it would not be able to send its men’s and women’s teams to Pakistan.
With his newest remarks, Afridi, who is known for making ludicrous remarks about India, has sparked new debate. In response to news that the email that forced New Zealand to cancel their tour of Pakistan came from India, Afridi made the ludicrous remark that India is after Pakistan but that other “educated nations” should not make the same mistake.
“If you have to look at the broader picture, I believe we need to make a decision that shows the rest of the world that we are a country with pride. It’s fine if one country is behind us, but I don’t believe other countries should also make the same mistake. They are all educated countries that should not be following India’s lead “Afridi stated.
Fawad Chaudhry, Pakistan’s information minister, stated that the email involving the security threat to New Zealand cricket was transmitted from India using a VPN using Singapore’s location.
Thereafter, Afridi said that Pakistan had once toured India despite receiving threats. He also referenced the example of Pakistan’s post-COVID-19 lockdown tour to England last year to argue that cricket should be used to strengthen, not deteriorate, ties between any two countries.
“Cricket, on the other hand, should help to strengthen ties. In India, the situation was dire. Threats were made against us. Our board requested that we go, so we did. Similarly, despite the situation in England during Covid-19, cricket continued to be played. If you believe fraudulent e-mails and cancel tours, I believe you are providing them the ammunition to win. This isn’t the way to go “Afridi continued.
