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Pakistan fan from UAE urges India not to boycott Indo-Pak World Cup match, calls it 'mother of all matches'

A Pakistan cricket fan from UAE, Adil Taj, who grabbed the limelight after singing the Indian National Anthem during the Indo-Pak Asia Cup match in 2018 recorded a video in which he's urging not to call off the match.

Pakistan fan from UAE urges India not to boycott Indo-Pak World Cup match, calls it mother of all matches

New Delhi, Feb 21: The clamour for the boycott of India's clash with Pakistan in the ICC World Cup 2019 has made the fans outside the country tensed. There is no dearth of supporters for India and Pakistan in every part of the world and the match between these two teams is often billed as the mother of all battles on the cricket field.

The upcoming World Cup tie between the two teams won't be any different. But shaken by the ghastly Pulwama Terror attack in which 40 CRPF personnel were martyred, a section of cricketers and fans have called for the boycott of the most sought-after match between the arch-rivals.

Gavaskar, a section of BCCI refute call to boycott Pakistan in World CupGavaskar, a section of BCCI refute call to boycott Pakistan in World Cup

A Pakistan cricket fan from UAE, Adil Taj, who grabbed the limelight after singing the Indian National Anthem during the Indo-Pak Asia Cup match in 2018 recorded a video in which he's urging not to call off the match.

"Boycotting India-Pakistan cricket match in the World Cup in the wake of Pulawama terror attack is not going to yield any positive results. Here so many Indian and Pakistani community is sharing the same old bond after that incident in Pulwama," said the Pakistani cricket fan Adil Taj.

"India toured Pakistan in 2004 and 2006 for a bilateral series and several cricketers have narrated their accounts of the love and warmth they received from the people across the border. Pakistan cricketers Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar have gone on record to claim that they get more love and affection in India than Pakistan.

"Cricketers and cricket fans have always shared a strong bond. Shahid Afridi has a framed a jersey of Sachin Tendulkar at his home. Even Virat Kohli sent his jersey carrying signed wishes from the entire Indian side to convey their best wishes after his retirement. This tells the kind of rapport Indian and Pakistani cricketers share with each other.

"So, I urge that the highly-anticipated match between India and Pakistan must not be boycotted. It is going to be the mother of all matches in the World Cup. Even ICC Cricket World Cup director informed that the Indo-Pak match has received more than 400,000 applications when the capacity of the stadium stands at 25000.

"We would urge the administration of both the countries to sit down and resolve their issues. Cricket is a big unifier for the fans of the two countries don't let it affect the game," he signed off.

The India-Pakistan clash is scheduled on June 16 at Old Trafford. India have never lost a match to their arch-rivals in the World Cup.

As a matter of fact, India played Pakistan in 1999 World Cup in England, when the two nations were actually engaged in the Kargil War.

Story first published: Thursday, February 21, 2019, 17:34 [IST]
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