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Pakistan's legendary spinner Saqlain Mushtaq spoke on strained relations between India and Pakistan, slamming politics, saying it's against humanity and detrimental to cricket and believes cricket unites nations, not drives them apart.
India and Pakistan have not played any bilateral series since 2012-13. In December 2012, Pakistan visited India for a 3-match ODI and 2-match T20I series. The T20 was a draw with India and Pakistan winning a match each, while the visitors took the ODI series 2-1. In an exclusive interview with ANI, Saqlain Mushtaq said, "I believe politics should be eradicated as it's detrimental to humanity. Politics is our enemy, and it's not just harming cricket, but humanity as a whole. It's a loss for the sport and its players. Cricket is meant to unite nations, not drive them apart." India and Pakistan only play against each other in international tournaments (Asia Cup, World Cup, Champions Trophy). Pakistan last visited India in the 2023 ODI World Cup. However, following Pakistan's terrorist attack on tourists in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir last year, the Indian goverment made a policy of playing matches on "third soil" - either in India or abroad, but not in Pakistan. Mushtaq also emphasised that cricket should be about entertainment, not politics or conflict. He chose not to comment on Bangladesh's decision not to play the T20 World Cup in India, reiterating his stance against mixing politics with sports. "Cricket is about entertainment, not a battlefield or war. I prefer not to comment on Bangladesh's decision not to play in India, as I've made it clear and told you already that I don't believe in politics," Mushtaq added. Mushtaq's comments come amid tensions between Bangladesh and India over the T20 World Cup, with Bangladesh refusing to play in India due to security concerns after Mustafizur Rahman was removed by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) from their IPL 2026 roster in response to a directive from the BCCI regarding atrocities committed against minorities in Bangladesh. However, after Bangladesh's refusal International Cricket Council (ICC) replaced them with Scotland in the T20 World Cup. (ANI)
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