Pakistan: Khalid Mahmood, the former chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, has criticised the establishment of a high-level committee by the government to decide whether Pakistan would play in the ODI World Cup in India in 2023.

Mahmood was unhappy with the committee's formation because he was in charge when Pakistan successfully toured India in 1999. In an interview, he made note of the absence of the Pakistan Cricket Board, the primary interest group in such things, from the committee.

Mahmood advised the administration not to associate Pakistan's World Cup participation with the ongoing Asia Cup that is being held in Pakistan. While he accepted that India shouldn't have a reason to decline a tour of Pakistan, he highlighted that politics and sport should not be mixed up on a global scale.

Also Read: Gavaskar disappointed with Rohit Sharma's Leadership Following India's Recent Defeats

He pointed out that security considerations could be taken into account without explicitly stating that Pakistan would not send its team to India if India did not come to Pakistan, and he criticized the government for acting against to its own policy by establishing the committee of ministers.

"If you say that we are looking at the security situation before deciding to send a team to India, that makes sense, but to say openly that if India doesn't come to Pakistan then we will also not send a team to India for World Cup, is mixing both things, which we have never done,” Mahmood said.

Additionally, he questioned the extent of the government's participation in PCB matters and the selection of the World Cup team. He discussed his own term, highlighting how the PCB independently assessed India's security situation and notified the government that they were prepared to travel the nation despite threats.

Also Read: Rinku Singh's Explosive Innings Adds Excitement to Duleep Trophy Semifinal

He added that Pakistan should visit India and compete in the World Cup since failing to do so could result in severe penalties and a deterioration of relations with other boards.

Mahmood further encouraged the new PCB management to consider the choices taken regarding the Asia Cup by Najam Sethi, the previous chairman of the Cricket Management Committee.

"I expect Zaka Ashraf to face an uncomfortable situation, when he attends the ICC meetings later this week, because of the formation of this committee and the statement made by minister Ahsan Mazari,” he said.

Also Read: Dhoni Returns to Chennai after IPL Success