Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar has stayed firm on his stance that franchises should avoid buying Pakistani players in foreign leagues, even after being criticised for his alleged double standards, where he was seen doing shows with former Pakistani players during the Champions Trophy.
The Reaction
Reacting to the criticism, Sunil Gavaskar said, “Yes, I have been on commentary panels of ICC and ACC. The revenue goes to all participating countries from ICC and ACC, but not from an Indian entity, as far as I know. I don’t understand how you can say that I am a contributor since I am not making any payment to any commentator, Indian or any other nationality.”
He also clarified that neither he asked for money nor was he paid for the same “I did not ask nor get paid for the show I did in Dubai.”
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What They Said
Gavaskar reiterated the same thing that he had said a few days ago after the Sunrisers franchise acquired the services of Abrar Ahmed in The Hundred, an action that caused huge backlash in India. In the words of former Indian opening batter, “I don’t follow the CPL, ILT20 or SA20, so I am not aware who is playing for whom. Yes, if there are Indian owners and they are paying Pakistani players, then hopefully they will stop doing that.”
The Allegations
When asked if Jay Shah, who is the chairman of ICC, is deliberately organising the India- Pakistan matches in ICC events, Gavaskar said, “Jay Shah is only the chairman of ICC. India and Pakistan have been playing against each other for decades, long before he became chairman. Trying to suggest that he is responsible for the current matches is absolute rubbish. The ICC does the scheduling, not Jay Shah, and it is the ICC and ACC that distribute revenues to PCB.”
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