Saeed Ajmal, the former Pakistani cricketer and World top spinner on Sunday strongly criticized the International Cricket Council (ICC) over what he described as unfair conduct by India on the cricket field. “If the ICC cannot rein in one country, it has no right to continue functioning’ he expressed this at an event in Karachi.
He stated that ICC’s primary responsibility is to ensure fair cricket for all nations. “Cricket cannot be run at the behest of one country,” he remarked.
Ajmal questioned India’s continued refusal to tour Pakistan, despite teams from across the world visiting the country. “The whole world is coming to Pakistan to play cricket. What pain does India have that it does not come to Pakistan?” he asked, adding that such behavior undermines the spirit of international cricket.
The former star spinner also welcomed the participation of Pakistani cricketers in leagues in the United States, calling it a positive development. He said it was encouraging to see members of the Pakistani community turning out in large numbers to support their players abroad.
Commenting on domestic cricket matters, Ajmal praised spinner Usman Tariq, saying he is looking promising. However, he urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to seriously address issues related to players’ bowling actions. “The PCB should take action and find out why our players continue to face action problems,” he said.
It is worth mentioned here that Ajmal first made his mark in international cricket in ODIs. He was called up for the 2008 Asia Cup, and soon after he had the Australians completely bewildered in the ODI series in the UAE; he gave away few runs and his doosra was almost unreadable. The ICC called him for his action, though it was cleared soon after. The pressure didn’t get to him and immediately after, he played a crucial role in Pakistan’s drive to the 2009 World Twenty20 title, regularly bottling up the middle overs with Shahid Afridi.
