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LAHORE: Mohammad Rizwan, the captain of the Multan Sultans and the Pakistan ODI team, has expressed his views on the ongoing conflict between Pakistan and India amid calls to sever cricketing ties.
The tensions between the two Asian countries escalated in the aftermath of the recent Pahalgam attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
While speaking during the post-match conference, Rizwan expressed a diplomatic stance regarding the ongoing tensions between Pakistan and India.
Mohammad Rizwan highlighted that when he meets top players like Virat Kohli, they interact like brothers. He also said that politics should not be involved in sports.
“Firstly, I don’t know what’s happening between the two countries because I don’t have time to use social media,” he said.
“Secondly, whenever I meet our cricketing family, which features top players like Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, and Joe Root, we meet like brothers and learn a lot from each other. I’ll just say that politics should not be brought into sport,” he added.
A few days earlier, Rajeev Shukla, the Vice President of the BCCI, and former India captain Sourav Ganguly, called for cutting ties with Pakistan, stating that India should not play any bilateral cricket matches with Pakistan.
It is worth mentioning that India and Pakistan have not played any bilateral series since 2013. Meanwhile, both teams have frequently faced each other in the ICC and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) events.
Looking ahead, the next ICC event isn’t until the Women’s ODI World Cup in September-October 2025, which India is set to host.
The tournament will follow a round-robin format featuring eight teams — including Pakistan — meaning each team will play every other side, rendering group-based separation irrelevant.
Although India is hosting the tournament, the matches involving Pakistan will take place at a neutral venue. Currently, no decision has been made regarding the locations of Pakistan’s fixtures.
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