Urwa Hocane blames 'petty' Indian politics for denying Pakistan opportunity to host Asia Cup

Actor took to X to share her opinion on India’s refusal to tour, stripping Pakistan of its hosting rights

In the wake of the ongoing 2023 Asia Cup, the 16^th edition of the South-Asian cricket tournament, many Pakistani celebrities have taken to their social media to express their enthusiasm for the sport and support the Pakistani cricket team.

Amidst the celebration and jubilance over Pakistan’s win against Nepal and the overall air of excitement surrounding the upcoming matches, actor and singer Urwa Hocane took to X to share an interesting take.

“The Asia Cup 2023 has got me thinking how arrogant and petty is Indian politics to not let their team play a single match properly just so they don’t play on host Pakistan grounds. They’d rather deal with rain, make their team suffer and compromise the international sports spirit! Sigh,” wrote Urwa in a single tweet posted to her profile on Sunday—a day after much-awaited Pakistan vs. India match had to be called off mid-way due to rain.

The #AsiaCup2023 has got me thinking how arrogant & petty is Indian politics to not let their team play a single match properly just so they don’t play on host #Pakistan grounds.They’d rather deal with rain, make their team suffer & compromise the international sport spirit! Sigh

— URWA TUL WUSQUA HOCANE (@VJURWA) September 4, 2023

What was anticipated to be a nail-biting encounter between the two competitors, with talented players on each side, turned out to be a major disappointment for fans watching across the two neighbouring counties.

A total of six teams from Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Nepal will compete against one another to claim the coveted Asia Cup. This year’s Asia Cup tournament is being hosted by Pakistan. However, the Indian cricket team’s refusal to tour Pakistan for the tournament has resulted in a schedule that will only see four of the 13 total matches take place in Pakistan, with the rest being played on Sri Lankan grounds.

Urwa’s analysis of the situation was not far off, as a report on Al Jazeera also quoted Karachi-based cricket analyst and sportswriter Saad Shafqat as saying that the decision to strip Pakistan of its due rights to host the entire tournament on their own grounds was influenced by “Indian hostility”.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) cited “political tensions” between India and Pakistan as the reason behind the Indian national cricket team’s inability to play on Pakistani soil.

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