Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board for their continued protests over playing at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The PCB has raised concerns over playing their country’s biggest geopolitical threat on their home soil and in a stadium named after their Prime Minister.
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However, Akram downplayed the protests and says that the Pakistan team has to accept the decision and play it out. He said, “See, I said this earlier as well, If I am asked to play on a certain date and at a certain venue, I have to play. Be it Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata, or Mumbai. So just play and don’t worry about it.”
Speaking about the PCB’s concerns he added, “We don't focus on what is happening in the PCB. We just focus on cricket. We have the entire schedule of our coming matches before us and we know what needs to be done to win matches as professionals”
In the interview, Akram recently also warned India about the extra pressure the team would be under competing in a home World Cup. This added to the pressure to bring home an ICC trophy for the first time since 2013, which is something the team has to monitor carefully according to the ex-skipper. He also gave plaudits to India’s bowling contingent, particularly Mohammed Shami and also highlighted all-rounders like Ravindra Jadeja.
According to Akram, this will add pressure to the Indian national team. He said, “Of course, India has Mohammed Shami, who is very impressive and bowling like a dream, but Bumrahm needs to remain fit. I don’t know what his situation is in terms of fitness but if he is fine, it will make a huge difference.”
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“Besides, they have really good spinners and all-rounders, Jadeja – Ashwin let’s see who plays. There have been some really good players coming from India but there are certain disadvantages of home ground. In 2011, India won but there is always an extra added pressure. Same with Pakistan, If they were the hosts pressure would be on them.”
