Asaduddin Owaisi says, India should not play a cricket match with Pakistan in Australia when it has decided against sending the team to play in Pakistan

AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Friday said India should not play a cricket match with Pakistan in Australia when it has decided against sending the team to play in Pakistan. The Hyderabad MP's statement came days ahead of the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup match in Australia's Melbourne.

Addressing a party event, Owaisi said, "Why are you now playing the cricket match with Pakistan tomorrow? Nahi khel na tha. No, we won't go to Pakistan, but we will play with them in Australia. What will happen if you don't play with Pakistan? A loss of Rs 2,000 crore? But is it more than what India matters? Leave, don't play."

Owaisi was referring to the BCCI secretary Jay Shah's announcement



that the Indian team would not travel to Pakistan to play the Asia Cup, which triggered a pushback from the Pakistan Cricket Board. The PCB threatened not to participate in the World Cup in India.

Asaduddin Owaisi said he wants India to win the game on October 23 and wants Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj to do their best to "crush Pakistan", but called out trolling of Muslim players if India loses a game of cricket.

"These people will thump their chest if India wins and if India loses, they will start finding whose fault it was. What's your problem? This is cricket. You have a problem with our hijab, with our beard and also with our cricket," he said.