Najam Sethi, a renowned Pakistani journalist and cricket administrator, has recently spoken out about the current state of cricket ties between Pakistan and India.
In a series of tweets, Sethi has urged the Pakistani government to take a more active role in deciding the future of these ties, arguing that a clear and decisive stance is necessary in order to protect the interests of the Pakistani cricket team and its fans.
The Pakistan-India cricket rivalry is one of the most iconic and long-standing in the sport, with both countries boasting strong and passionate cricketing cultures.
However, tensions between the two nations have often spilled over into the cricketing arena, leading to a series of complex and often tumultuous relations between their respective cricket boards.
Over the years, there have been numerous instances of cricketing ties between the two countries being suspended or disrupted due to political and diplomatic issues.
In recent times, the situation has been particularly fraught, with no bilateral cricket series taking place between Pakistan and India since 2013.
This lack of cricketing ties has been a source of frustration for fans on both sides, who have long yearned for a return to the high-stakes and fiercely contested matches that have come to define this historic rivalry.
It has also had a negative impact on the development and growth of cricket in both countries, with the absence of regular fixtures depriving players of valuable opportunities to compete at the highest level.
In light of these challenges, Sethi has called on the Pakistani government to take a more proactive role in seeking a resolution to the current impasse. In his tweets, he argued that the government must engage with the Indian cricket board and other relevant stakeholders in order to find a way forward for cricketing ties between the two countries.
Sethi also suggested that the Pakistani government should consider seeking the assistance of international cricketing bodies, such as the International Cricket Council (ICC), in mediating the dispute and finding a solution that is acceptable to both sides. He argued that such an approach would be in the best interests of Pakistani cricket and would help to ensure that the sport can thrive and grow in both countries.
It is worth noting that the Pakistani government has in fact taken some steps in recent years to try and improve relations with India and revive cricketing ties. For example, in 2017, the Pakistani government allowed the Indian cricket team to travel to Pakistan for a short series of matches, marking the first time in over a decade that the two sides had played each other on Pakistani soil.
However, these efforts have so far failed to yield any lasting results, and tensions between the two countries have continued to hinder the development of cricketing ties.
Sethi’s call for greater government involvement in the matter is therefore a timely reminder of the need for both sides to work together and find a way to move forward.
Future goals
As he believed that fresh cricketers were solely being supplied from the Pakistan Super League competition, Sethi stated that the board’s “main priority” would be to “fix the domestic cricket structure.”
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