India shouldn't mix sports with politics: Sarfraz Khan

The Pakistan captain insisted that sports should never be mixed with politics. Keeping the cricket crazy fans across both the countries in mind, he said the match should be played

Amid voices rising to boycott arch-rivals in the upcoming World Cup, Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmed expressed his disappointment over the current scenario. Upset on cricket being targeted in the aftermath of Pulwama terror attack, Sarfraz suggested that the much-awaited game on June 16 in Manchester should go ahead as planned.

The Pakistan captain insisted that sports should never be mixed with politics. Keeping the cricket crazy fans across both the countries in mind, he said the match should be played.

“The India and Pakistan match should be played as per schedule as there are millions of people who want to watch this game. I just don't think cricket should be targeted for political gains,” Sarfaraz said in an interview.

“It is disappointing to see cricket being targeted after the Pulwama incident. I don't recall Pakistan ever mixing sports with politics,” he said.  

The fate of the much-anticipated World Cup match to be held on June 16 at the Old Trafford lies in limbo after several former Indian cricketers called for its boycott following the terror attack that killed more than 40 CRPF personnel in Pulwama on February 14.

The call to boycott the match has come from some prominent names in Indian cricket such as senior off-spinner Harbhajan Singh and former captain Mohammed Azharuddin.

But offering a different view, batting great Sunil Gavaskar and Sachin Tendulkar have stated that India should not hand over points to Pakistan by boycotting the game. They, however, advocated continued shunning of bilateral cricket ties.

The Committee of Administrators (CoA) running Indian cricket also decided against taking any stand on the World Cup clash against Pakistan, but urged the ICC and other nations to “sever ties” with countries from where “terrorism emanates”.