New Delhi, Apr 09:
The legendary Kapil Dev on Thursday slammed Shoaib Akhtar’s idea of a made-for-television three-match ODI series between India and Pakistan to raise funds for the COVID-19 pandemic, saying “India doesn’t need the money” and it is not worth risking lives for a cricket match.
Speaking to PTI, Akhtar on Wednesday proposed a closed-door series to jointly raise funds to fight the deadly virus both in India and Pakistan. Dev said the proposal is not feasible.
“He is entitled to his opinion but we don’t need to raise the money. We have enough. For us, what is important right now is that how our authorities work together to deal with this crisis. I am still seeing a lot of blame game on television from the politicians and that needs to stop,” Dev told PTI.
“Anyway, the BCCI has donated a hefty amount (Rs 51 crore) for the cause and is in a position to donate much more if the need arises. It doesn’t need to raise funds.
“The situation is unlikely to get normal anytime soon and organising a cricket game means putting our cricketers at risk which we don’t need to,” said the World Cup-winning former captain.
Dev said cricket should not even matter for at least the next six months.
“It is just not worth the risk. And how much money can you make from three games? In my view, you can’t even think of cricket for the next five to six months,” he said. Dev said the focus, at the moment, should only be on saving lives and taking care of the poor who are struggling to make ends meet in a lockdown situation.
“Cricket will resume when things get normal. The game can’t be bigger than the country. The pressing issue is to look after the poor, the hospital workers, the police and all other people who are on the frontline of this war,” said the 61-year-old.
