Pak Had India On Target In T20 WC, Now We’ve 2 More Teams: Raja As Eng, NZ Abandon Tours
Mumbai: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) President Rameez Raja has said that England and New Zealand’s decision not to play the series in Pakistan is a lesson for them and now they will only look after their own interest.
After New Zealand decided to cancel its tour of Pakistan just ahead of the first ODI, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) on Monday announced that its men’s and women’s tours of Pakistan will not go ahead as planned. Also Read: Take Out All The Anger On New Zealand In T20 WC, Don’t Leave Them: Akhtar To Pakistan
“I am very disappointed with England’s return but it was expected because this western bloc, unfortunately, tries to support each other in unison. So you can take any decision on the basis of security threat and perception. There was a sense of anger because first New Zealand got away without sharing information about the threat they were facing,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Raja as saying. Also Read: NZ’s 1st Tour Of Pak In 18 Years Abandoned Minutes Before 1st ODI After Security Alert
“Now, this England was expected but this is a lesson for us because we go out of our way to accommodate and pamper these sides when they visit. And when we go there, we undergo strict quarantines and we tolerate their admonishments, but there is a lesson in this. That is, that from now on we will only go as far as is in our interest,” he added.
Raja said that his team will now have to let go of all their disappointments to do well in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
“We go in the World Cup now and where we had one team in our target – our neighbours India, they now add two more teams – New Zealand and England. So pick up the strength and develop a mindset that we are not going to lose because you didn’t do right by us with us and we will avenge that in the ground,” said Raja.
Talking further about cricket in Pakistan, Raja said: “Our interest is that cricket will not stop in our country and there is no point if the cricket fraternity does not take care of each other. New Zealand, then England, now we have the West Indies series which can also be a hit and Australia which is already rethinking. It – England, Australia, New Zealand – is all a block. To whom can we complain? We thought they were ours, but they didn’t consider us theirs.”
“We have to improve and expand our cricket economy so that these countries remain interested in playing us. That is in our interests as well so that our players are paid better and we are respected more. They come to the PSL where they don’t get spooked or fatigued but collectively they have a different mindset together toward Pakistan,” he added.
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