• Tuesday, March 19, 2024

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We are only thinking about India matches in Asia Cup, says ex Pakistan cricketer: It’s all heating up

Fans of Pakistan’s and Indian cricket teams cheer before the start of the ICC mens Twenty20 World Cup cricket match between India and Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai on October 24, 2021. (Photo by INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP via Getty Images)

By: Shubham Ghosh

It is not often that India and Pakistan play each other in cricket for non-cricketing reasons but when they do, everything else becomes secondary.

It became evident from the recent words of former Pakistan bowler Tauseef Ahmed who said the men in green were only concerned about their upcoming clashes with arch-rivals India rather than the entire tournament of Asia Cup where the two teams will compete for the crown for the continent’s best cricketing side.

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Defending champions India will play former champions Pakistan in a group match in Dubai on August 28 and there is possibility of them meeting again in the tournament which also features other Asian sides such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, among others.

However, Ahmed was not happy with the team that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) picked for the tournament saying the board failed to “settle” on a team.

Ye rona dhona toh bohot puraana hai (this has been going on for long now). You didn’t try to settle the team. The same players that were there a few years ago are coming back in some way or the other. When something this crucial coming up, you go back to those players about whom you once said that they should leave cricket. It means you didn’t have a back-up plan,” the 64-year-old Ahmed, who has represented Pakistan in 34 Tests and 70 ODIs between 1980 to 1993, told his country’s Sports Paktv.

“Unless you’re not settled, there’s no point. There was Saud Shakeel, there were 2-3 other players, where are they now?” he asked.

He then said Pakistan at the moment only cared about the matches against India rather than the tournament as a whole.

The last time Pakistan defeated India at the Asia Cup was in 2014 while the last time they won the tournament was in 2012.

“We want our team to be good. We were thinking they will pick Shoaib Malik. Because you only remember these people at this time. But we don’t really care about the Asia Cup, we only care about those 2-3 games against India. It’s like.. ‘if we win these, that’s it’. That’s not the way. You need planning,” Ahmed said.

The tournament in the United Arab Emirates kicks off on August 27 and India and Pakistan could end up playing each other twice or even thrice (given they make the final).

Pakistan, however, hammered India by 10 wickets the last time they locked horns, which was at the T20 World Cup in the UAE last October. They are set to meet each other in the T20 World Cup again this year, to be held in Australia.

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