LAHORE: National cricket captain Sarfraz Ahmed wants India to play on reciprocal basis only them he would like to play with them. He further stated that hs is by no means be running after them to play. “Sports should be seen as sports and kept separate from politics,” Sarfraz, who is captaining Quetta Gladiators in the ongoing Pakistan Super League, said in a video interview on Geo News show Capital Talk. “Pakistan wants to play cricket with India, but if they refuse to play cricket with us then we should not run after them,” the skipper told host Hamid Mir.
When asked about his thoughts on the government’s aim to host all of next year’s PSL in Pakistan, the 31-year-old said he is looking forward to cricket’s homecoming.“Of course the entire PSL should be in Pakistan and I am hopeful that can happen,” he said. “For this, not only do we need the support of the Pakistan Cricket Board but also the local governments where the matches will be held.”
This year, eight matches of the PSL will be held in the country, with Lahore playing host to three fixtures and Karachi hosting five matches including the final on March 17. Asked what he thought about an India firm trying to sabotage PSL and pulling out of its agreement with the PCB to live-produce the ongoing games, Sarfraz stressed that sports should be kept separate from politics.
“In the last three years or so, PSL has changed so much for Pakistan cricket. After IPL, PSL is the second biggest league in the world. There is no need to attack cricket and PSL like this,” he added.
Echoing Sarfraz’s sentiments, all-rounder Shahid Afridi said he is also hopeful that the PSL will be staged entirety in Pakistan in the coming years.
“There is a difference in the crowds. We don’t get to see as huge a crowd on the weekends as we should here,” Afridi said about crowd attendance in UAE. “If the crowd is big, players will get a chance to play and handle pressure.” “I want to thank Najam Sethi for taking this important step for the future of Pakistan cricket,” the former captain added.