No Pakistan in the Asia Cup! Sunil Gavaskar opines on the future of the tournament
Sunil Gavaskar has questioned whether Pakistan will take part in the upcoming Asia Cup, particularly after the recent terror attack in Pahalgam last month. While India and Sri Lanka are set to co-host the tournament later this year, the attack in April has raised concerns about the event’s future and whether Pakistan will be involved.
In an exclusive interview with Sports Today, Gavaskar pointed out that the BCCI’s position will align with the stance taken by the Indian government. The cricket legend believes that if the tensions between India and Pakistan remain unresolved, Pakistan’s involvement in the competition is highly unlikely.
“The BCCI’s position has always been aligned with the directives of the Indian government. So, I don’t anticipate any change when it comes to the Asia Cup. With India and Sri Lanka sharing hosting duties for this edition, the situation will depend on any potential shifts in the current scenario. However, if there’s no change, I find it hard to see Pakistan participating in the Asia Cup given the hosting arrangements,” Gavaskar said.
Gavaskar pointed out that the future of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) could be uncertain, particularly after the recent election of Mohsin Naqvi as the new president of the Asian Cricket Council. He speculated that if India were to withdraw from the organization, the Asia Cup could be restructured into a smaller, three- or four-nation tournament.
“Honestly, I’m not sure how things will unfold. It’s possible that the Asian Cricket Council getting disbanded, and you could just have a three-nation tour, that could well have a three-nation tournament, or a four-nation tournament with maybe Hong Kong or UAE being invited. It’s something that could happen depending on the developments over the next couple of months,” he added.
“It’s entirely possible that India could choose to withdraw from the Asian Cricket Council altogether, and in that case, we might end up with a three-nation tournament, or a four-nation tournament featuring countries like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan. If the tournament does take place in either Bangladesh or Sri Lanka, India could still play a major role in hosting it, possibly within their own borders,” Gavaskar mentioned.
Given the growing tension between India and Pakistan, Gavaskar emphasized that it would be increasingly challenging for both nations to engage in any cricketing activities.
“I wouldn’t be shocked at all if the Asian Cricket Council is disbanded given the ongoing tensions. I mean if you’ve got two countries, you know, fighting against each other, then it is little bit difficult to play sport with each other,” he concluded.
Leave a Reply