‘Agar maut aani hai, toh aani hai’ - Javed Miandad comes up with blunt take on India’s objection to tour Pakistan for Asia Cup

Former Pakistan cricketer Javed Miandad came up with a sharp remark on India’s objection to travel to Pakistan for the forthcoming Asia Cup. For the unversed, Pakistan was initially awarded the hosting rights of the tournament, however, the BCCI outrightly refused to tour the neighbouring land amid the sensitive political climate.

Jay Shah, secretary of the BCCI, confirmed that the national team would not travel and also stated that the competition could be held at a neutral venue. However, as per the latest reports, the PCB urged the ACC to host the games in Pakistan except for the India matches, which could be held at a neutral venue.

The ongoing tussle between the two cricketing boards over the hosting rights has sparked numerous controversies with many former cricketers providing their stance on the issue. In the same vein, Javed Miandad made a rather insensitive remark in the Nadir Ali podcast, regarding the security of the event and further stated that it was India’s turn to tour Pakistan. 

"Forget security. We believe that agar maut aani hai, toh aani hai. Zindagi aur maut toh Allah ke haath mein hai (If death is your destiny, it will come for sure. Life and death are in the hands of the Almighty). If they call us today, we will go. But they should return too. The thing is the last time we went, but they haven't come here since. It's their turn now," told Miandad in the podcast as quoted by NDTV.

Kolkata, Chennai to host IND vs PAK ODI World Cup match

While there is a lot of controversy on the hosting rights of the Asia Cup, the forthcoming ODI World Cup has been under much speculation as well. The PCB too had threatened to pull out of the mega ODI competition if India refused to tour Pakistan. 

However, as per the latest developments, team Pakistan are likely to take part in the marquee event which will be held in October-November in India. Furthermore, the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata and the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai are the two venues shortlisted to host the high-voltage fixture between the arch-rivals. However, the two cricket boards are yet to provide their official statement in this regard.