Published 19:44 IST, April 13th 2020
Shahid Afridi 'Shocked' at Kapil Dev's response to Akhtar's proposal; backs Yuvraj Singh
Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi stated that he was 'shocked' by Indian veteran Kapil Dev's reply adding that Akhtar had said something for humanity
Amid the Coronavirus pandemic which has gripped the entire globe and brought the entire world to a standstill, several cricketers have stepped up to contribute in several ways to combat against the deadly disease. Recently, former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar had made a 'comical' proposal of an India-Pakistan series amid the virus outbreak to raise relief funds. The proposal was strongly rejected by veteran Indian cricketers including 1983 World Cup-winning skipper Kapil Dev who had labelled the proposal as 'pointless' citing India's enough resources.
Shahid Afridi 'shocked'
Responding to Kapil Dev's remarks, former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi stated that he was 'shocked' by the Indian veteran's reply adding that Akhtar had said something for humanity. Afridi stated that although he respects Kapil Dev a lot and he should not have said something like this.
The former Pakistan all-rounder also backed Yuvraj Singh after the Indian all-rounder faced severe backlash for extending his support to Afridi's foundation. Afridi urged that Indian citizens should support Yuvraj Singh's 'excellent cause' as he is working for humanity. He added that Yuvraj has achieved a lot for India and now if he wants to give back and help people then they should support him.
Afridi has also revealed that when he was in Canada he had extended his support to Yuvraj Singh's foundation and announced a donation of $10,000 to it. He added that when he had made the donation openly no one in Pakistan objected and supported him instead. The Indian all-rounder has a foundation 'YouWeCan' dedicated to fight Cancer and spread awareness about it.
Akhtar proposes bilateral series; Indian veterans reject
The former Pakistan speedster had proposed a three-match ODI series between India and Pakistan at a neutral venue like Dubai and suggested that players can be flown out of the city in chartered planes. Akhtar also sought India's help and requested the neighbouring country for supply of 10,000 ventilators to aid Pakistan's crippled medical infrastructure. He added that "Pakistan will remember this gesture forever."
The proposal was, however, vehemently rejected by several Indian veteran cricketers. Member of the current Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) Madan Lal had stated that such decisions are made by the government after taking everything into consideration and not Shoaib Akhtar. Former IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla had also rejected the proposal as he opined that it is a 'matter of fun' that Akhtar is talking about an India-Pakistan match in this time of crisis.
Updated 19:44 IST, April 13th 2020