Pakistan PM Imran Khan responds to Sarfaraz Ahmed’s request for retaliatory celebration during India vs Pakistan World Cup 2019 match

Pakistan PM Imran Khan responds to Sarfaraz Ahmed’s request for a retaliatory celebration during India vs Pakistan match on June 16

As per the reports from a senior official in the Pakistan establishment, a proposal was sent to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan that Sarfaraz Ahmed (Pakistan Cricket Team captain) and his team wanted to celebrate India’s wickets in a different manner during the India vs Pakistan upcoming clash on June 16 in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.

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This request was made apparently as a retaliation to Team India’s sporting of Army caps during the 3rd ODI against Australia on March 9 this year.

Imran Khan turns the request down

As per the reports, Sarfaraz’s aforementioned request did not go down well with their PM Imran Khan, as he asked the Pakistan Cricket Team, to rather ‘stick to Cricket’ during the match against India on June 16.

“Prime Minister Khan has clearly conveyed to the players that they must enjoy the game and not indulge in overt show of political diplomacy or aggression. He is clear that sport should not blend with politics, hence there will not be anything like what the Indian Cricket Team did recently”, the official said.

Reports state that the PCB has told its players to stick to cricket and turned down a request from Sarfaraz Ahmed and his team to celebrate India’s wickets ‘differently’ in retaliation to Kohli and Co. wearing army caps during an ODI against Australia in March #CWC19 #IndvPak

— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) June 7, 2019

Ehsan Mani “We will not resort to what the other party has done. There could be sporadic celebrations in case of a hundred, like Misbah-ul Haq’s push-ups during the Lord’s Test in 2016 which was a tribute to the army, but nothing different at the fall of a wicket” #IndvPak #CWC19

— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) June 7, 2019

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Ehsan Mani has also responded to the issue. “We will not resort to what the other party has done”, said Mani.

“Could be a sporadic celebration in case of a Century”- an official

As per a statement by another official, there are chances of a different sort of a celebration like the one former Pakistan skipper did during the Lord’s Test in the year 2016, as a tribute to the Army.

“There could be sporadic celebration in case of a hundred, like Misbah-ul Haq’s push-ups during the Lord’s Test in 2016 which was a tribute to the army, but nothing different at the fall of a wicket”, said the official.

In case you’re unaware, Virat Kohli and Co. donned the camouflage caps, during the India vs Australia encounter in a Bilateral ODI series at Ranchi, as a tribute to the Central Police Reserve Force (CPRF) personnel, who were martyred in the terrorist attacks on February 14 this year. The inhuman attacks were  The responsibility for the inhuman attacks were claimed by the Pakistan-based Islamist militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed.