Sports Desk
Pakistan ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi on Wednesday criticised the lack of sportsman spirit in India, amid renewed scrutiny of the Indian cricket board over politicisation of the game.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) faced strong criticism after instructing the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman amid rising tensions between the two countries.
Speaking to the media in Lahore, Afridi said that there had been a lack of sportsmanly spirit across the border, referring to India, which has repeatedly dragged politics into the game, especially in games involving Pakistan.
However, he said that the Green Shirts have always tried to respond to such actions with their performance on the ground.
Former West Indies captain Jason Holder has expressed similar views on the politicisation of the game, describing the ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan in cricket as “sad”.
In an online interaction with cricket analyst Grace Hayden, he highlighted the Asia Cup 2025 controversy, saying that India won the tournament but its players did not step onto the stage to collect the trophy.
Cricket pundits voiced concerns over India’s refusal to shake hands with Pakistani players during the Men’s Asia Cup, held last year.
The tension continued through the final, where India defeated Pakistan but refused to accept the trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, who serves as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President.
India repeated similar actions in the Women’s World Cup game against Pakistan, skipping the customary handshakes.
Referring to the Asia Cup saga, Holder said that seeing such things in cricket was saddening.
“I saw India win the Asia Cup, and they didn’t go on stage to accept the trophy. I think it’s too much; these things should not be in our game,” he added.
Separately, former England all-rounder Moeen Ali criticised the International Cricket Council (ICC) for favouring certain boards while sidelining others.
“Everyone knows who runs the ICC, but no one says anything,” Ali said in an interview, without naming India directly.
Expressing regret over Mustafizur Rahman’s removal from the Indian Premier League (IPL), he said that such things have been happening for a long time.
“Pakistan has also faced similar treatment, but it gets ignored,” Ali added.
The former England player also defended Bangladesh’s decision not to travel to India for the T20 World Cup, emphasising that Bangladesh were not to be blamed for the matter.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has said that it would not send its team to India, which is co-hosting the tournament with Sri Lanka, citing risks to players’ safety and well-being.
The cricket board has requested the ICC to move the side’s game to a venue outside India.
