• Former PCB chairman Khalid Mahmood criticized the government’s decision.
• Mahmood said that the committee is unnecessary.
• He also said that the committee’s decision could damage Pakistan’s relations.

The government’s intention to establish a high-level committee to decide on the participation of the national cricket team in the 2023 ODI World Cup in India has drawn criticism from the former head of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Khalid Mahmood. Mahmood, who oversaw Pakistan’s entire tour to India in 1999 and who also visited the neighboring nation in 1989 while serving as manager of the junior squad, claimed that the creation of this committee was absurd. “The interesting thing is that no representative of the main stakeholder, the Pakistan Cricket Board is on the committee,” Mahmood said in an interview.

“While I agree that there is no justification for India not to tour Pakistan now but this is not the way things are done at the international level.” According to Mahmood, the government had directly violated its own policy against combining politics and sports by convening this committee of ministers.

“If you say that we are looking at security situation before deciding to send team to India, that makes sense, but to say openly that if India doesn’t come to Pakistan then we will also not send team to India for World Cup, is mixing both things, which we have never done.” Mahmood also questioned the necessity of the government’s extensive engagement in PCB matters and the decision to send the squad to the World Cup.

“When I was chairman in 1999, despite threats from India, we assessed the security situation for our team ourselves, by sending a delegation to India and advised the government we were willing to go to India.” He claimed that in order to avoid sanctions and damaged relations with other boards, it was prudent to make sure the Pakistani team participated in the huge event.

Mahmood stated that any choice Najam Sethi made on the Asia Cup in his role as head of the Cricket Management Committee should be honored at this time.

“I expect Zaka Ashraf to face an uncomfortable situation, when he attends the ICC meetings later this week, because of the formation of this committee and the statement made by minister, Ahsan Mazari.”

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