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Zaka Ashraf says India 'afraid' of Pakistan
PCB chief says BCCI worried about how supporters would react to being beaten by Pakistan.
The contrasting form of the Pakistan and India sides of late might have left the latter’s management reluctant for a showdown, according to Ashraf. PHOTO: AFP
DUBAI: Pakistan cricket chief Zaka Ashraf said Saturday that his side’s recent resurgence in form had left arch-rivals India afraid to take them on.
The neighbours have not played a Test series since 2007, with sporting ties frozen after the terrorist attacks on Mumbai.
There were hopes of a thaw after the sides met in the World Cup semi-final last March and they are slated to play each other under the International Cricket Council’s Future Tours Programme this year.
But they have struggled to find a slot because of India’s hectic schedule, prompting Ashraf, who took over as Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman in October last year, to accuse India of running scared.
“Maybe the way our team is performing and the way their team is performing in Australia, they look like afraid, for them losing to Australia is not that much emotional, but its more emotional losing to Pakistan,” Ashraf told reporters.
India were routed 4-0 in their Test series in Australia last month – to record eight consecutive defeats away from home after their whitewash in England by the same margin last year.
In contrast, Pakistan under Misbahul Haq are on a roll, having not lost a series since August 2010 and enjoy an unassailable 2-0 lead over world number one England in their three-Test series in the United Arab Emirates.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has said it needs government approval to revive the ties, but Ashraf said they were worried about how supporters would react to being beaten by Pakistan.
“Indian cricket fans will get after their cricket board, so I think the way we are performing they are afraid,” said Ashraf, whose request to meet his BCCI counterpart Narayan Srinivasan in December last year was also turned down.
Ashraf said all PCB’s requests to revive cricket relations had been unsuccessful.
“I don’t know what’s in their heart, but we have requested them a lot of times,” he said.
He said both the Indian and Pakistani prime ministers – who attended the World Cup semifinal together – had asked for a resumption of games between the two countries, but nothing had happened.
“We are ready to play any time against them. If they say yes today we can play against them here in UAE after the England series… but the ball is in their court whether they want to play,” Ashraf said.
“When their prime minister is saying, when Srinivasan is saying he also wants to see India-Pakistan play, maybe their selectors and those working in their team management are afraid of our team’s morale and preparation.”
Reader Comments (54)
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Just a word of caution…whenever we have open big mouth we bite the dust…
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Quite a bold statement by Mr Zaka but yes he is spot on!
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Oh no! I predict a comment chaos on this news.
I will predict a victory for Indians of course knowing their overwhelming number on this site
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totally unnecessary statement…Recommend
Unnecessary statement- its just a game and no one is afraid of any one. We respect Indian cricket team as they have proved in the world cup that they are the best but at the same time Pakistan cricket has shown wonderful performances recently. A cricket series between the two neighbouring titans will be good for the game.
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Zaka sahab lets focus on building our own team… quietly.
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he has ruined the chances of playing even more by saying this ( if there were any).
alas personal ego prevails over countrys interest
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hahaha.yup we are afraid of the mighty pakistanis.happy now :)
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Indian cricket team is an overated and overhyped joke. I for one don’t comprehend how they’re ranked in the top 5 teams.
As for Pakistan, we are seriously underrated in tests, ODIs and T20s. We deserve to be higher.
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I think Mr.Zaka ashraf does not know that the cricket fraternity in the international world is dominated by BCCI whether india performs on the ground or not & it will remain the same way. If he hasn’t understood this he will have a lot of hard time fetching a cricket series with BCCI. With BCCI noone can dictate terms,that should be known to him. PCB should take what BCCI gives them and don’t make a noise this is the official line and he must have remember this before making this statement. Now what this statement does is it will prevent BCCI and indian cricket team from playing match with pakistan.I don’t know whether he realises or not but he has made a huge stupidity not just of himself but of PCB as well. And one thing for sure BCCI wouldn’t give any Ind-Pak series(which is a distant dream) in UAE or any neutral place (forget in pakistan) because we don’t want to loose revenue with hosting the match rather that giving it to pakistan.
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@Rohit
This is the one article you Indians should spare from commenting after the Australian debacle, its not us, the entire cricket community has been criticising you. Some of the harshest attacks are coming from the Aussies and the english cricketing community not us. We are too busy doing more mature things like playing and constantly winning matches to prove our point.
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@Pakistani Agnostic
Yea you should predict chaos, because these people are the ones obsessed with us not us. They make the entire effort to come all the way here to pass ill informed comments that have no substance. They are completely obsessed with Pakistani affairs and will have to keep harping even if they have nothing relevant to add, and this article is exactly the case in point. They would actually be saying alot more worse things right now, except with the way Pakistan is performing recently compared to them, they have no material so the best thing for them now is to either be humble or not say anything at all.
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@Ajmal Iqbal:
i think you have to give it to them.
The world champions are expected to be in the top three.
its only our “overrated” and “overhyped” egos which dont allow us to “compehend” the same
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@YeaRight:
We are too busy doing more mature things like playing and constantly winning matches to prove our point.
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@YeaRight:
We are too busy doing more mature things like playing and constantly winning matches to prove our point
besides fixing which remains our core area of expertise.
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Fair Enough. Thats the truth
If india refuses to play, deduct their points and award them to Pakistan
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afraid or not afraid we dont know
but
Its time ashraf realises that India rules the cricket world and are loaded with cash.
Statements like theese will further complicate matters.
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@wrek
Wow what a self-loathing comment because for you even Pakistan’s victories cannot be digested entirely without being adulterated by reminders of fixing. Do you think we are the only team mired in it? From India, sri lanka, south africa each and australia each and every team is involved in seedy dealins but its so easy to throw muck on Pakistanis because unlike the other team we do not pull that kind of weight on ICC. Even shane warne and many aus cricketers have come on radars several times in the past but ICC chooses to look the other way. It’s only Pakistan that they pick on for their token anti-corruption exercises.
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That’s a problem with big heart people. Just because you have won against England, you are flying in the air. Do not forget, India lost recent games away however their record in home pitches and in south Asia is superb. Don’t forget England ODI whitewash and West Indies series. Same goes with Pakistan, all recent wins are in Bangladesh & Middle east. Prove first that you can win away then have all these Big Talks! Dhoni must be smilling at your comments!!!
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I don;t agree eith PCB chief because India is busy. There is IPL, Champion’s League, T20 World Cup Asia Cup this year.
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Oh: I am scared, really scared, really really scared, I dont know whether I will get a no ball or chewed ball
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I don’t know who said that , but he sud know if he wants Indian team to visit Pak in a bid to revive international cricket in pak , then stop day dreaming . No country won’t go there to bring their last day of their life. so far cricket is concerned , Indian team sud be ready to take on pak in any country outside pak and result can be anything .Recommend
See comments at below link
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/cricket/top-stories/Out-of-form-India-avoiding-playing-Pakistan-Ashraf/articleshow/11751553.cms
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@vasan
Go ask Tendu such intelligent questions.
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If was the head Of the board Of pk i would rather play bangladesh and tell india that we dont have time jee why pk always askin to play with em n lettin their head grow big
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@vasan:
Like you could have played if it was a ‘yes’ ball and ‘un-chewed’ ball… lol lol lol you Indians….
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@vasan: get over the no ball and the chewed ball. worry about the doosra and the teesra
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100% agreed with PCB chief.India is big loser of 21 century.India is the direst nation in the world.Bhag india bhag .Recommend
who cares? I am over it. I like that we remain separated. The inventors of doosra, teesra, reverse-swing don’t need anyone…
Also Pakistan should kill ties because of attacks in Kashmir valley by Indian army on civilians.
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india play gud in they bk yard on slow tracks n fixed the world cup everyone knows that
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@YeaRight: arey bhai i said na we are afraid of you,why getting so defensive :D?
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@OhLaLa:
Yea you should predict chaos, because these people are the ones obsessed with us and not us. They are completely obsessed with Pakistani affairs and will have to keep harping even if they have nothing relevant to add
At the moment you seem to be completely obsessed with Vidya balan (Mr, oh la la).
Thanks for promoting our BollywoodRecommend
He should not be talking like this. In fact India and Pak are much more closely matched than their respective recent forms would suggest. Indian batsmen can easily play spin (something we see as our strong hand). If the two countries play it would be a cracker, and I would bet on Pakistan only because they are on a high right now.
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@vasan
Atleast we can bowl unlike you guys whose bowlers have allowed Australian cricketers to individually score upto 369. Our bowlers cleaned out the best test cricket team within 72 runs. Your bowling section was always pathetic but now after Australia even the batsmen are pathetic. Atleast even our old Younis Khan scored century today while your Tendulkar has for months been desperately been struggling to score his 100 century. Zing!
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Mr Ashraf is spot on. They are afraid no doubt. Dont forget they did not play a single test against us on the pretext of Kashmir but they were afraid of two Ws’ who were at their peak then. When they agreed to play in 1999, they were defeated at home 2-1. Its unfortunate the third test being Asian Test Championship.
Pakistan must find its own course and that course is definitely without India. It does not bother me at all if they dont play. We better play Zimbabwe who can give a better fight.
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India’s cricket world is crumbling. Biggest sponsor of BCCI is pulling out. IPL( Indian Prejudiced League) is in shambles. Indian team getting white-washed in a row. Australian press ( very rightly) called them shameless losers. Now this statement. No wonder Indians will be upset with this statement.
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@ WonderfulComments
OMG the link you provided is a GEM. Some of the most hialrious comments against the Indian cricket team on that page and most of them from Australians and English commenters. Gawd I guess we are not the only one sick of them. It’s high time Indians do the match and swallow the reality that their team is in the pits and there is no getting out!
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@wrek:
constantly winning matches? LOL! Was your head in the sand all the time when your team was humiliated with 8-0 consecutive test defeats. twice white washed :)
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@wrek:
Yes busy in loot and plundering of wealth in India:
Sonia Gandhi has $18.66 billion in Swiss Bank accounts
By Infinity Times
– June 6, 2011Posted in: India, Politics
UPA Chairperson and the President of All India Congress Committee “Sonia Gandhi” has around $9.41 billion (Rs 42,345 crore) to $18.66 billion (Rs 83,900 crore)in Swiss Bank accounts, according to the article on Wikipedia.
According to the article, Swiss magazine Schweizer Illustrierte on 11 November 1991 revealed that Sonia Gandhi was controlling secret Swiss Bank accounts worth $2.2 billion (Rs 10,000 crore).
If these are reports are true then India is in bigger trouble, you might have ever imagined. As, there are so many Indian politicians who are supposed to have bank accounts in Swiss Bank.
Even if 20% of them are having bank accounts, still there would be billions of dollars of India rotting in Swiss Bank.
Regards
Dr. Saleem Siddiqi
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Considering events that took place in last few yrs and especially 2008, many Indians would not like to see India playing against pakistan even if Indian team was winning.
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@Ali:
constantly winning matches?
haha this satement is made by your fellow pakistani, not by me.
was you head in sand all the time while reading this ? LOL
For the moment India are the World championns.
Live with the pain for another 4 years.
Have a nice sunday
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@wrek
India’s World Champion status is no longer painful for us or anyone else. Infact we are quiet enjoying it cos right after winning you guys have being making a fool out of yourselves all over the globe and even the Aussies, English are taunting and questioning your WC status. Oh and you’re Tendu has yet to make his much hyped century. SO I guess the irony is lost on you guys.
When you want to make a point, you do it through your actions. Like how Pakistan has recently silenced England by making the biggest comeback after the cricket scandal. My advice: Walk the Talk, not just Talk and Talk.
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@Dr. Saleem Siddiqi:
I agree with you sir.Recommend
@Dr. Saleem Siddiqi:
We are discussing about cricket , From where did this come now.
Do you have any idea about the conduct of our leaders, and what have they done to our beloved pakistan.
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@YeaRight
I think we as pakistanis have to agree that right now that India are the world champions.
Frankly we have won just won against a Bangladesh and an England in home conditions.
Should we wait before openeing our big mouth. After winning constantly abroad we have all the right to boast around.
England were also white washed 5-0 in India when they were in India recently.
Think smart- since theese guys rule the world. You never know theese Indians are capable of relegating us to playing the likes of Bermuda and Malta in the near future.
My advice : “Think twice before opening our mouth”
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@Ali:
First, Stop posting as my nick
Second, Fair enough india doesnt want to play. Make them bleed by costing them points and award points to Pakistan.
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Why are the Indians and pakistanis fighting over this.
Pakistanis are a truly gifted team and so are India.
I think India should be playing Pakistan, but Mr Zaka ashraf’s coments can only be termed as childish, which will hamper the future of cricket between two countries.
India should on the other hand be more open to resume the bilateral cricket between the two countries.
Dr Shafi
Lahore
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Childish comment….Zaka gee let pakistani team play good cricket and win games. Please stop making silly comments.Recommend
If Cricket Boards are being controlled by their respective governments, then what for ICC is?
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Yes sir, we are afraid of Pakistan.
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Just because we played some good cricket and were able to whitewash the English does not mean we are world champions yet! Remember this team may have got some fighting spirit inculcated now but this has to be a continuous process. This team is all the more likely to implode at any time. I am a true Pak team fan, and at no time during the whole series was I ever comfortable with the team status till each match was won.
This statement by Zaka Ashraf is totally uncalled for at this time or at nay time. Does not show him to be a mature person cpable of handling PCB.
Anyway many congrats to the team for the histioric whitewash!! but let us not belittle the Indian team which is a very good side.Recommend
I feel sorry to hear such statements coming from the chief of Pakistan cricket. It is just a game for God’s sake. Nobody needs to be afraid (literally and figuratively speaking) of anybody. Play the game with spirit, give your best to the game, your country and hold your head high regardless of the result.
By the way, I am a Pakistani.
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Typical Pakistan. Say that you want something(play cricket matches with India) and then do everything in your power to not make that something happen( passing school boy juvinile comments about Indian cricket ). The Indian govt may be wiling to forgive and forget the sins of Pakistan in the interest of peace but the BCCI has always been run by egotistical men with long memories. So kiss goodbye to the prospect of cricket with IndiaRecommend
no sense
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