LONDON: Former England cricket captain Michael Atherton has suggested that the International Cricket Council (ICC) should stop scheduling matches between Pakistan and India in future global tournaments.
Atherton said his proposal was prompted by the tense situation that arose during the recent Asia Cup, emphasizing that ICC events should not include fixtures between the two arch-rivals.
He acknowledged that economic and diplomatic reasons may drive the ICC to organize Pakistan-India encounters, but added that it is time to move away from this approach due to the deteriorating relations between the two countries.
The former captain acknowledged that the competition has a financial impact in the ICC event, and because of this competition, the broadcast rights in the current circle is worth $ 3 billion.
He said that the competition between the two countries had become a proxy for border tension, earlier cricket was taken as a diplomacy wheels, but now it is clearly proxy for tension and propaganda.
Michael Atherton added that it is a small justification for the two team matches to be organized in the events and that justification has always been described financially, the draws should be transparent in the next circle.
