'I'd see how much nationalism...': Salman Butt challenges India amid WCL row; 'don't play in World Cup, ICC tournament'

Salman Butt challenges India amid WCL row

The clash between India and Pakistan at World Championship of Legends (WCL), which was cancelled, has created quite a stir - especially among the former players from across the border. Shahid Afridi was critical of India's decision to pull out of the match and now joining him is his former teammate Salman Butt.

The ex-Pakistan opener challenged India to maintain the stance at high-voltage events such as World Cup or any ICC event. Butt made the remarks on his YouTube channel.

"The whole world is talking about them - what message have they sent to cricket as a whole and to the fans? What are you trying to show? What are you trying to prove? Now don't play in the World Cup...don't play against us in any ICC tournament. Make this a promise. See, we understand that everything has its own place. But now that you are interlinking, don't play against us at any level or tournament. Not even the Olympics. Please do that. I would love to see. The stakes would be high, and I'd see how much nationalism they can show at that level," he said.

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The decision came after icons such as Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan and Yusuf Pathan pulled out of the match, which was after public outcry. Reflecting on the same, Butt made a huge accusation of some players influencing others to skip the match, adding it was a decision out of pressure.

"What is this mindset? I just can't understand. Who is making this decision? Those 4-5 people who decided not to play, because of them, others, who probably had the mindset to play, felt pressured," he said.

Butt reiterated the challenge before concluding, stating the "nationalism" would be reminded and questioned if India break the stance in ICC tournaments. "Keep this intact, because we will keep reminding them of this," said Butt.