‘No bilaterals, then no tournaments too’ – Azharuddin on India vs Pakistan Asia Cup clash

Mohammad Azharuddin, a former Indian cricket player, has provoked controversy by raising concerns about whether India should play Pakistan in the Asia Cup when bilateral cricket between the two countries is still on hold because of persistent political issues.

Asserting that if the two nations are hesitant to play bilateral series, they should also avoid playing in international competitions, Azharuddin urged consistency in cricket ties. He emphasised that cricket matches had to be regular rather than sporadic.

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has scheduled India and Pakistan to play each other in the Asia Cup 2025 on September 14. It is predicted that the highly anticipated match would garner a lot of attention.

“Everything should happen, or if it doesn’t, then it shouldn’t happen at all,” I usually say. I think you shouldn’t participate in international competitions if you’re not playing bilateral matches,” Azharuddin stated.

Azharuddin underlined this scheduling irregularity and reiterated the necessity of the two countries taking a united stand on cricket relations.

Since the 2012–13 season, India and Pakistan have not played a bilateral series; instead, they have only faced one another in ICC or ACC competitions. He further explained that ACC-sanctioned cricket had nothing to do with the recent withdrawal of the Indian Champions from their planned matchup versus the Pakistan Champions in the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025.

“The board and the government should handle this. The BCCI and ICC have not approved the veterans’ league, hence it is not a recognised competition. It is carried out in privacy. However, the ACC oversees the Asia Cup as a tournament,” Azharduddin continued.

In the meantime, the United Arab Emirates is scheduled to host the 2025 Asia Cup. Eight teams will compete in the competition, divided into two groups. India, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman make up Group A, while Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Hong Kong, and Sri Lanka make up Group B. Afghanistan will play Hong Kong in the opening match of the campaign on September 9. With the final scheduled for September 28, the best teams from each group will advance to the Super Four stage.