Pakistan legend says ‘politics should be eradicated’ amid strained Indo-Pak ties, T20 World Cup drama

Saqlain Mushtaq has called for politics to be kept separate from sport amid persistent tensions between India and Pakistan as well as the recent drama between the ICC and Bangladesh over the latter’s participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup. The Pakistani spin legend added that cricket is “meant to unite nations” instead of causing further divide, and that the field of play should not be likened to a “battleground”.

Mushtaq, however, decided against commenting on Bangladesh's controversial exit from the T20 World Cup after refusing to travel to India, who are co-hosting the tournament from 7 February to 8 March.

“I believe politics should be eradicated as it’s detrimental to humanity. Politics is our enemy, and it’s not just harming cricket, but humanity as a whole. It’s a loss for the sport and its players. Cricket is meant to unite nations, not drive them apart,” Mushtaq, who took nearly 500 wickets for Pakistan in an international career spanning nine years, told news agency ANI.

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“Cricket is about entertainment, not a battlefield or war. I prefer not to comment on Bangladesh’s decision not to play in India, as I’ve made it clear and told you already that I don’t believe in politics,” he added.

Bangladesh’s exit from T20 World Cup leads to angry response from Pakistan

Bangladesh have since been replaced by Scotland, the highest-ranked team that did not feature in the original list of qualified teams for the T20 World Cup. The Bangladesh Cricket Board had refused to send the Litton Das-led squad to India citing “security and safety” concerns, though it was viewed by some as retaliation for Mustafizur Rahman’s sudden release from the Indian Premier League.

The ICC, however, refused to accept the Aminul Islam Bulbul-led board’s demand to have their matches relocated to Sri Lanka or some other neutral country, and ordered them to play their games in India – where their Group C fixtures were to take place in Kolkata and Mumbai.

Mushtaq’s comments also come at a time when relations between India and Pakistan, in the diplomatic sense as well as on the cricket field, have nosedived following the Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent conflict between the two nations.

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The handshake and trophy fiasco in the Asia Cup in September further eroded cricketing ties between the two arch-rivals, who are set to face off in Colombo on 15 February in the T20 World Cup.

Pakistan Cricket Board, currently led by the country’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, has offered its support to the BCB on their anti-India stance.

They have since threatened to stage some form of protest against Bangladesh’s removal from the tournament in the coming days – whether by boycotting their match against India or the tournament entirely.