Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has rejected the cricket team’s request as they wanted to celebrate India’s wickets ‘differently’ when the two teams meet in an ICC World Cup 2019 match at Manchester on June 16
According to reports, Khan rejected the request and advised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to tell the cricketers to only stick to cricket during the India-Pakistan World Cup match.
“Prime Minister Khan has clearly conveyed to the players that they must enjoy the game and not indulge in overt show of political diplomacy or aggression. He is clear that sport should not blend with politics, hence there will not be anything like what the Indian cricket team did recently,” A senior official in the Pakistan establishment was quoted as saying by Mumbai Mirror.
Apparently Pakistan cricket team wanted to celebrate ‘differently’ in retaliation to the Indian cricket team wearing army caps during an ODI against Australia in March.
Confirming the development, a senior Pakistan journalist said PCB turned the cricketers’ request. “Reports state that the PCB has told its players to stick to cricket and turned down a request from Sarfaraz Ahmed and his team to celebrate India’s wickets ‘differently’ in retaliation to Kohli and Co. wearing army caps during an ODI against Australia in March,” tweeted Sadiq.
He also said that PCB chairman Ehsan Mani, while turning down the request, said, “We will not resort to what the other party has done. There could be sporadic celebrations in case of a hundred, like Misbah-ul-Haq’s push-ups during the Lord’s Test in 2016 which was a tribute to the army, but nothing different at the fall of a wicket.”
