7:caption
The 2021 T20 World Cup is just a few days away from now and the fans are eagerly waiting for October 24 when India and Pakistan will be up against each other for the first time in international cricket since 2019 ODI World Cup. Both the sides do not play bilateral series together due to political issues between the two nations and ICC events are the only place when fans get to relive this famous Indo-Pak rivalry on the cricket field.
There is no doubt that this has been one of the most talked about fixtures over the years and both the sides have had their share of success in this face-off. However, former Pakistan batsman Asim Kamal believes that there has been a bit too much unnecessary focus on this fixture which has resulted in the downfall of Pakistan cricket.
Other teams should also be given attention: Asim Kamal
The 45-year-old said, "Our cricket is ruined because we focused too much on the India-Pakistan matches. In order to relieve the pressure, other teams should also be given attention," as quoted by Express News.
There is certainly no doubt that Pakistani players have not been able to perform to the best of their potential in matches against India, especially in ICC events. Barring the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final, India have dominated the fixture in mega events and Asim Kamal might not be entirely wrong to make this claim as the hype created around this rivalry could be one of the reasons behind Pakistan's disappointing show on numerous occasions.
Asim Kamal wants Ramiz Raja to take some bold decisions
Talking about the current state of Pakistan cricket, the 45-year-old opined that there are lot of issues going on behind the scenes. "Senior players do not help upcoming young stars because they are scared of being replaced by them. This trend has continued for a very long while and it needs to be eradicated," he said.
Kamal was however hopeful of better things for the national side in future but he added that PCB's new chairman Ramiz Raja will have to make bold decisions to fix the Pakistan cricket. "He (Ramiz) needs to expose and sack those who have been eating away like termites," he said.