The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been under fire in the cricket community for refusing to send the Rohit Sharma-led squad to Pakistan for the upcoming 50-over Asia Cup in the second half of the year, 2023.
Most of the former cricketers and experts felt that making the choice without consulting the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) was a clear violation of the spirit of the game of cricket.
Yesterday, West Indies legendary batter, Sir Vivian Richards said that India should go to Pakistan for Asia’s biggest cricket event because Pakistan is a safe place and cricket fans across the globe want them to play together.
Speaking to the media at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Richards said, “It is always great to watch matches between Pakistan and India. I want to see these teams clash more often and hopefully, things will change in the future.”
While answering a question regarding the security issues for the players in Pakistan, Sir Vivian responded “I feel at home whenever I’m in Pakistan. I don’t face any issues in Pakistan and feel extremely safe here.”
It should be noted that Team India last visited Pakistan for a full-fledged series in 2008, though the two neighboring countries played a white-ball bilateral series in 2012-13, with Pakistan winning the ODI series 2-1 on their tour of India.