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'Is Ahmedabad Haunted?' - Shahid Afridi Questions PCB's Denial To Play at Narendra Modi Stadium

image-liznha5cShahid Afridi | Source: Twitter 

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and India have both accepted Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) hybrid model for the 2023 Asia Cup. Furthermore, Pakistan has taken a step back from its earlier threats of boycotting the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 in India.  

Earlier, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Najam Sethi, stated that Pakistan would not travel to India for the ICC 50-overs World Cup, 2023, if they were deprived of the rights to host the Asia Cup. 

While the official schedule for the mega ICC event is yet to be announced, there are reports circulating that the high-profile match between India and Pakistan will be staged at Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium on October 15.

However, this decision has generated discontent among fans and experts in Pakistan, including PCB chairman Najam Sethi, who explicitly state their unwillingness to play their group stage game against India in Ahmedabad. 

Meanwhile, this stance of PCB has greatly angered former Pakistani captain Shahid Afridi, who openly expressed his frustration and questioned the rationale behind their refusal to play at the Narendra Modi Stadium. 

Speaking on a local news channel, Afridi took a dig at PCB and said that the Ahmedabad pitches do not possess any ghostly creatures that could cast a spell on Pakistan players. 


Here’s what Afridi said: 

"Why are they declining to play on Ahmedabad pitches? Does it hurl fire or is it haunted?"

The Pakistan all-rounder, infact, backed the Men in Green to pull off a win in Ahmedabad against India in a stadium full of the Indian supporters.

"Go and play - go, play and win. If these are the foreseen challenges, then the only way to overcome them is through a comprehensive victory. What matters at the end of the day is Pakistan team's win. The crux only and only lies in there. Take this rather positively. If they [India] are comfortable there, you should go, pull a victory in front of packed Indian crowd and show them what you got."

According to reports, when ICC officials recently visited Pakistan, PCB’s management committee chairman, Najam Sethi, conveyed that Pakistan does not wish to have matches scheduled in Ahmedabad unless it is a knockout game. 


Here’s what a PCB source reported: 

"He requested ICC to schedule their games in Chennai, Bengaluru, and Kolkata if the national team gets clearance from the Pakistan government to travel to India for the global event scheduled in October and November."