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LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Executive Committee's Chairman Najam Sethi said on Tuesday that the country's cricket board will be prepared to answer Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Anurag Thakur in an ICC board meeting scheduled to be held later this month in Cape Town, South Africa.
When asked about the BCCI's request to International Cricket Council (ICC) to put Pakistan and India in separate pools during the global tournaments, Sethi said: "We will give befitting response to Anurag Thakur."
The two neighbours have not competed in a full-fledged bilateral series after the Mumbai Attacks in 2008 soared Indo-Pak diplomatic ties.
'We will do everything for Shahid Afridi'
Talking about giving an honourable exit to former T20 captain Shahid Afridi, the executive committee's chairman said: "Afridi is a star player and we will do everything for him."
His statement regarding the flamboyant all-rounder came on the day when Afridi made his international debut 20 years back with a swashbuckling maiden One-Day century in just 37 balls, a world record at that time.
“I will be meeting Shahid Afridi and will discuss the situation with him”, he added.
"We don't want to disturb the team's professionalism for merely a tradition."
Sethi further said that he had full support of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif to organise the final of the second edition Pakistan Super League (PSL) in Lahore.
The inaugural edition of PSL was held in Dubai and Sharjah earlier this year.
"We have full support of Punjab Chief Minister and we are in touch with administration to organise PSL final in Lahore," he concluded.
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Comments (63) Closed
Oct 04, 2016 08:09pm
This word "befitting" is getting on my nerves.
Its a word that is locked in the 50's.
Can we find some other words
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Oct 04, 2016 08:28pm
Answer is simple withdraw your team if don't want to play against Pakistan.
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Oct 04, 2016 08:37pm
Excellent news
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Oct 04, 2016 08:50pm
Shaid Afridi has ruined dressing room and destroyed careers of Umar akmal and ahmed shazad with his bad influences and dull attitude on and of field. He has done more damage then good.
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Oct 04, 2016 09:13pm
can we not let sports, arts and films away from politics of hate please???
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Oct 04, 2016 09:18pm
Good
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Oct 04, 2016 10:33pm
What is the problem if India doesn't want to play with Pakistan ?. Why Mr. Najam Sethi wants Pakistan to be in the same pool as India ?
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Oct 04, 2016 11:43pm
Pakistan should ask ICC to keep politics away from cricket, India is in the habit of mixing both which is not good for cricket.
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Oct 04, 2016 11:48pm
Anurag hasn't said anything against Pakistan or PCB. What's going on ?
Cricket match at this time can lead to crowd riots. Please be sensible.
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Oct 04, 2016 11:51pm
India should be excluded for displaying apartheid mindset. There are no upper and lower cast in international cricket. If don't want to play one nation member then out of cricket, zero tolerance for such a behaviour.
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Oct 05, 2016 12:00am
Mr sethi please at least you should not be carried away with rhetoric ..
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Oct 05, 2016 12:05am
I don't understand what's a 'befitting' answer. One country says they don't want to play with us, and we should oblige. Let's move on with our lives, instead of reacting to everything across the border.
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Oct 05, 2016 12:05am
Politicians meddling in sports again.
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Oct 05, 2016 12:06am
I think it will be in the best interests of both Pakistan and India if the political leaders of the two countries stopped using the word 'befitting'. The word has lost all meaning .
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Oct 05, 2016 12:12am
Yes please ready another strategic warhead for BCCI office.
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Oct 05, 2016 12:15am
Yeah, 'befitting response'. The way you guys gave all the hold to 3 countries was befitting enough.
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Oct 05, 2016 12:18am
@Mohajir Thats not the point. India is rather immature in its policies of mixing sports and politics as well as arts and politics. Whether you are PK, IND or anyone else for that matter you should grow up, nobody like to accommodate a whiny child.
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Oct 05, 2016 12:22am
Let there be no enmity in sports at least. Every team wants to win to make their nation look great but that is where it ought to end. No jingoism, please. We may have issues with India that need to be sorted out but don't be driven by propaganda.
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Oct 05, 2016 12:26am
Confused about the news item and the reaction from the PCB. Sounded like the establishment!!!
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Oct 05, 2016 12:37am
Mr. Sethi still want to play with them? They do not want to play in the same group then that is up to them. Why does it matter to you. What would be your befitting response? Play with us? Be a Pakistani and do not let us down.
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Oct 05, 2016 12:45am
Not playing with them is also befitting?
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Oct 05, 2016 12:48am
Ok, first qualify for the world cup.
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Oct 05, 2016 12:47am
what is the befitting reply?
ask icc to put india and pak in same pool?
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Oct 05, 2016 12:53am
Let's wait and see.
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Oct 05, 2016 12:58am
Pakistan and India should be in separate pools and if God forbid they happen to face each other in semi or final then the tournament be annulled.
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Oct 05, 2016 01:04am
This Tit for Tat attitude must stop,please start acting like grown ups .
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Oct 05, 2016 01:22am
@RIZ who is gonna fund ICC ?
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Oct 05, 2016 01:23am
Indians are like my childhood friends
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Oct 05, 2016 01:31am
If India decides not to play Pakistan what befitting reply can he give. Except, of course, to demand money for the lost opportunity :)
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Oct 05, 2016 02:08am
@Mohajir
why should a sports organization make pools of a? d cup to please some member countries?
Do you think it makes sense to create pools as wished by participants?
What if some country wants to have only easy opponents on the way to the final?
Think before you write.
What a pathetic demand by ICC.
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Oct 05, 2016 02:10am
Sethi is unfit to lead such important role in cricket. His departure will be very befitting to disappoint Pak opponents.
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Oct 05, 2016 02:14am
I would like to see India and Pakistan play in the finals. Being in the same group might eliminate one early. Being in different group increases chances of playing in the finals. India and Pakistan can benefit more playing in the finals. I don't know why najam sethi wants to give a befitting reply.
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Oct 05, 2016 02:22am
@Ali that's all certain ones know.
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Oct 05, 2016 02:30am
other odd thing is they expect everyone to bend over backwards while they keep committing the same illegal plays.
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Oct 05, 2016 03:05am
@Pakistani I feel the same way when the word befitting is overused. In our subcontinent, the word "befitting" is traditionally combined with "nefarious" for maximum impact. How about this:
"We will give a befitting response to the nefarious decision of the Indian cricket chief."
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Oct 05, 2016 03:27am
@Mohajir ,India can pull out if they do not want to play Pakistan,simple is that.
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Oct 05, 2016 03:47am
@Rizwan haider. Any proofs brother.
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Oct 05, 2016 03:48am
Mr. Sethi you do not have to give befitting response. Indians have already shamed themselves by refusing to play Pakistan, because their batsman are scarred of Amir, Hassan Ali, Wahab and many other speed merchants of Pakistan bowling. Remember what Asif and Amir did to them when they meet last time.
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Oct 05, 2016 03:52am
Mr Sethi has taken unto himself to paint Shahid Afridi a great hero though he has below par stats in all formats of cricket. Why he is adamant for a befitting farewell is mind boggling. It will be a great disrespect to actual cricketing heros of the past.
Indians do not want to play Pakistan, as they know the result and it's aftermath, let them hide in their hole.
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Oct 05, 2016 04:46am
@RIZ ICC put PAK-INDIA in same group without lottery system like what they do for others. If ICC can chose group for these 2 then why only for putting together?
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Oct 05, 2016 05:21am
Anything but befitting - PLEASE
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Oct 05, 2016 05:28am
@Mohajir
No team can dictate pairings International tournamnets, including the bully India.
If you don't want to play a given team, then forfeit the match.
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Oct 05, 2016 05:32am
No show Walk Over should be given to indian team if they dont want to play against pakistan.
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Oct 05, 2016 05:33am
Is India scared of getting eliminated by Pakistan if they are in the same pool. Wrong way to get to the finals, if that's how India wants to be in the semi-finals.
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Oct 05, 2016 05:32am
The prerequisite is to survive till then...bring some one young...
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Oct 05, 2016 05:51am
Pakistan should also request that the ICC place Bangladesh and Afghanistan in seperate pools in global tournaments.
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Oct 05, 2016 05:57am
Najam Sethi was the last man to say so.
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Oct 05, 2016 07:00am
@Mohajir Yes, nothing will happen if India refuses to play with us. We will be better off without India. In fact there was no cricket between the two countries during the period 1961-1978 yet we were able to produce such great cricketers like brilliant Asif Iqbal, majestic Majid Jehangir Khan, stylish batsman Zaheer Abbas, originator of reverse swing bowling Sarfaraz Nawaz, and the fiery all rounder Imran Khan.
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Oct 05, 2016 07:35am
What is the problem in playing in different pool ?
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Oct 05, 2016 08:44am
Actually it may be good that we don't play before knockout stage.
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Oct 05, 2016 09:59am
@RACK dont you worry about it? Who was funding it before. That lower mindset is destroying the game cricket.
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Oct 05, 2016 10:12am
@CONCERNED CITIZEN - Perfect...No hard feelings if one country dont want to play with you...
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Oct 05, 2016 10:30am
@Pakistani , i totally agree with you on this one. Its not befitting to use the word befitting anymore from either side.
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Oct 05, 2016 10:50am
Befitting reply means-(1)ICC must not listen BCCI, put Ind and Pak in same pool. (2)If BD, AFG & SL take same stand, then put them in opposite pool of Pak.
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Oct 05, 2016 10:58am
The "befitting" response would be that you should also never agree to be in the same pool with them in any tournament in future !!!
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Oct 05, 2016 11:06am
@Pakistani I opened the comments column to tell just the same.
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Oct 05, 2016 12:16pm
@Mohajir ..India is withdrawing from champions trophy
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Oct 05, 2016 03:40pm
Najam Sethi, Hero of Pakistani Cricket!
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Oct 05, 2016 06:34pm
What befitting Mr.Sethi? Don't think ofreedi deserves any.IF he had his way, he had almost destroyed 2o overs cricket in Pakistan.
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Oct 06, 2016 02:32pm
Indian oil corp had a larger revenue than Pakistan's GDP this year lmao
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Oct 06, 2016 04:59pm
@Observer - Dear Sir; I have an objection to the word "Apartheid" that you have used or misused here. I am an ardent cricket fan and also have praised a lot of Pakistani cricketers in the past and have been a fan of Zaheer Abbas , Imran Khan ; Mohammed Mushtaq and many more. I would have been among the first to criticise if India had talked about isolation or apartheid. But that is NOT the case. All BCCI has done is requested that both countries not be in the same pool. I would request all people to think with a cool mind that current situation is not conducive to matches between two counties since a cricket match in current scenario could create more harm than goodwill as I would not want India and Pakistan to play matches as if it is some kind of a war but play in future as a good cricket game at an appropriate time that would create peace and goodwill. Isn't cricket supposed to create more goodwill between India and Pakistan as has been done in the past ?
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Oct 06, 2016 06:29pm
@Observer Matter of fact is - BCCI runs ICC. ICC needs money and only BCCI has that prowess to generate revenue.
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Oct 06, 2016 07:38pm
Both Indians and Pakistanis are doing exactly opposite of what should be done. Play more and more sports, artists should take part in joint activities. This is the only way to diffuse tensions. Pull away and watch this reach another level of hate.
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