ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja feels that if playing India was important to Pakistan cricket so is it for India as the financial benefits of Indo-Pak series is immense for all stakeholders.
Ramiz said he would not read much into the actions of Shiv Sena activists who stormed the BCCI headquarters but the fact is that cricket has always proved helpful to improve relations.
“If playing India was important to Pakistan cricket so was it for India. Indo-Pak series is overall important for cricket itself and the financial benefits of such matches is immense for all stakeholders,” he said while talking to a private news channel.
Ramiz said eventually cricket will be the winner. “Sooner or later India and Pakistan will get down to playing cricket again despite the current bleak scenario,” Ramiz said.
Speaking about the incident and threats to Pakistan’s Aleem Dar on the ICC Elite umpires panel, Ramiz said what happened was unfortunate.
“But they have always been highs and lows in Indo-Pak relations but I have never been made to feel unwelcome anywhere in India,” he said.
Ramiz said if Aleem is in India obviously the ICC must have thought about it and sent him there for the India and South Africa series.
“I don’t see any threat to Aleem,” he said.
However, Ramiz said that the Pakistan cricket officials were doing the right thing by emphasizing that cricket and politics must be kept apart.
“It is good they have again taken the initiative to convince India to play the series in December. Such efforts have to continue to eventually break the ice. Cricket has always brought a thaw in relations and improved it from my experience,” he said.
APP
