Srinagar: Pakistan’s star cricketer and flamboyant allrounder Shahid Afridi has blasted IMG-Reliance’s pull-out from covering the Pakistan Super League, that is currently underway in United Arab Emirates, a media report said.
“You find out who your friends are at difficult times. What are they trying to show the world that they are educated? Educated people don’t behave in such a manner,” Afridi said, News Nation reported. The 38-year-old, who is currently playing for Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League, also backed Prime Minister Imran Khan’s statement on the Pulwama attack which resulted in the death of 49 CRPF personnel.
Shahid Afridi regarding Reliance-IMG's decision to pull out as producers of the PSL "You find out who your friends are at difficult times. What are they trying to show the world that they are educated? Educated people don't behave in such a manner" #PSL4
— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) February 20, 2019
“Without any proof, they are putting all the blame onto Pakistan straight away. PM Imran Khan has once again spoken on this matter in a positive and clear way to explain that Pakistan wants to have good relations with not only India, but also Afghanistan, Iran and China,” Afridi added.
The Pulwama attack fall-out has seen a massive backlash from India against Pakistan and cricket has been a major target. Cricket Associations in Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab have pulled down the portraits of Pakistan players from their galleries while D-Sports and IMG-Reliance have pulled out of covering the Pakistan Super League. A leading cricket digital website, Cricbuzz, is also not covering the Pakistan Super League on their website. Talking to a Pakistan journalist, former Pakistan skipper
Shahid Afridi "Without any proof they are putting all the blame onto Pakistan straight away. PM Imran Khan has once again spoken on this matter in a positive & clear way to explain that Pakistan wants to have good relations with not only India, but also Afghanistan, Iran & China"
— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) February 20, 2019
Sources within The Board of Control for Cricket in India have stated that, “If the government at that point in time feels we shouldn’t play, it’s obvious that we won’t play,” News Nation reported. However, the BCCI is trying in their own capacity to respect the sentiments of a vast portion of the Indian public who are calling for a boycott.
Cricketers like Harbhajan Singh, Sourav Ganguly and Yuzvendra Chahal have called for tough action to be taken while the BCCI is thinking about writing a letter to the ICC to ban Pakistan from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.