Afridi accuses India of blame game over Pahalgam attack; Pakistan opener not keen on playing in India: 'Deeply regrettable'

Amid the rising tensions between India and Pakistan, Shahid Afridi has slammed India for blaming Pakistan for the Pahalgam terrorist attack “without any evidence”. Meanwhile, Pakistan opener Gull Feroza has said that her team is not “interested in playing in India”.

The reactions from the Pakistani side have come after former cricketers in India called to sever all cricketing ties with Pakistan in the wake of the Pahalgam terrorist attack in which at least 26 people lost their lives.

In India, Sourav Ganguly and Shreevats Goswami have asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to enforce a complete boycott of Pakistan in the cricketing spectrum.

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Afridi says India is shifting blame to Pakistan

On Friday, former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi criticised the Indian government for shifting the blame to Pakistan for the terror attack despite not having any evidence.

“It is deeply regrettable that India has once again resorted to blame-shifting without any evidence. Such actions only escalate tensions and impede the peace efforts in the region,” Afridi said in a statement, as per Pakistan’s new portal Minute Mirror.

Afridi added that instead of indulging in a blame game, India must take part in dialogue to resolve the issues and cricket should be left untouched from any politics. “The only way forward is through dialogue. Violence and blame games will only aggravate the situation. Sports, particularly cricket, should be all free from political interference”.

Subsequently, Pakistan women’s cricket team opener Feroza has said that they are happy playing their upcoming Women’s World Cup matches at a neutral venue and not in India.

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As per the agreement between BCCI, International Cricket Council (ICC), Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), India and Pakistan will play their matches at a neutral venue whenever a global tournament is hosted in either of the countries till 2027.

Pakistan openers says ’not interested in playing in India’

India are the designated host of the 2025 Women’s Cricket World Cup but Pakistan will be playing their matches at a neutral venue .

“We know this much that we will play in Asian conditions and we are not playing in India. This is clear. Neither are we interested in playing in India,” Feroza told PakPassion.

“So, wherever it is played - hopefully in Sri Lanka or Dubai - those conditions are similar to the ones you get in Asia. The Qualifiers were at home, and the staff prepared tracks accordingly. Wherever the World Cup games are played, the conditions will be similar to those we have at home. So, our preparation will be according to that, and we are ready for that,” she added.