Pak minister accuses BCCI of politicising cricket after Indian team wears army cap

Fawad Chaudhry, the Pakistani minister for information and broadcasting has accused BCCI of politicising the game of cricket by allowing their players to wear army caps in the third ODI against Australia. “It is just not cricket, I hope ICC will take action for politicising gentleman’s game, if Indian team is not stopped, Pakistan cricket team should wear black bands to remind the world about Indian atrocities in Kashmir. I urge the PCB to lodge a formal protest,” Fawad Chaudhry posted on his official Twitter account.

In the third ODI between India and Australia at Ranchi, the Indian players decided to wear army caps to express their solidarity with the Indian jawans. This action was considered applausable by many former players of the Indian contingent. Due to the Pulwama terror attack on February 14, in which around 40 CRPF personnel were killed, tensions between India and Pakistan have been rising by the minute and there have many outcries in the country to stop the sporting relations between these two countries.

BCCI even wrote a letter to the ICC asking them to stop cricketing relations with nations from where terror emanates. The ICC, however, replied that it is not within their domain to remove any country from the sport or to boycott them. The future of India and Pakistan’s World Cup match hangs in the balance as of now. India and Pakistan take on each other in the group stage of World Cup on June 16. 

(With inputs from agencies.)