NEW DELHI: In an apparent attempt to stoke fresh controversy, Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has claimed that the signing of Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed by an Indian-owned Hundred franchise in England is “indirectly contributing to the deaths of Indian soldiers and civilians”.
Players from Pakistan have not played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) since 2009 due to deep-seated diplomatic tensions between the two nations.
There was speculation that Pakistani players involved in the first Hundred auction in London would be subject to a “shadow ban”, with IPL affiliated teams refusing to bid for them.
That didn’t happen, but Sunrisers Leeds – from the same group that controls IPL team Sunrisers Hyderabad – faced a fierce backlash on social media after finalizing a deal for Abrar last week, paying £190,000 ($252,000) for his services.
Former India captain Gavaskar, 76, launched a blistering attack in a weekend column for the Indian newspaper Halfway through the day.
“The fees they pay to a Pakistani player, who then pays income tax to his government, which buys arms and weapons, indirectly contributes to the deaths of Indian soldiers and civilians,” he wrote, fueling new controversy amid decades of strained ties between the two neighbors.
“Whether it is an Indian entity or a foreign subsidiary of the entity making the payment, if the owner is Indian, he or she is contributing to the Indian victims.”
Three other Hundred franchises – MI London, Manchester Super Giants and Southern Brave – are at least partly owned by companies that control IPL teams.
Usman Tariq, the only other Pakistani player bought at the auction, was picked up by American-backed Birmingham Phoenix.
The England and Wales Cricket Board issued a statement last month saying all eight franchises in the 100-ball-a-side competition should select based solely on their performance.
Pakistan and India, who were involved in a deadly conflict in May last year, have not played a bilateral series in more than a decade and only meet in global or regional tournaments.
“There is still time to undo the wrong and hopefully wiser advice will prevail,” added Gavaskar, the first batsman to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket.
