Pakistan announced on Sunday that they will take part in the competition but will not play the match against India on February 15. The decision was taken following Bangladesh’s exit from the T20 World Cup after the International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected their request to shift their matches from India due to ‘security concerns’. In an exclusive conversation with NDTV, Kapil said that if the decision to boycott the match came from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), it will end up hurting Pakistan’s reputation and also harm the current crop of cricketers in the country.
“If the decision was taken by the players, they can come out and say. However, if the board says that you will not play, the reputation of the country comes down,” Kapil Dev said.
“It is not looking bright for Pakistan. You are killing the generation. Pakistan have given us fantastic talents over the years. But if you will not allow these boys to play in the World Cup, you are killing the generation and hurting the game. You are being unfair to your own players,” he added.
The ICC expressed their concern over Pakistan’s decision and asked them to reconsider their stance due to the long-term impact that it can have on cricket in the country. Kapil said that although spectators will be sad if the match does not take place, Pakistan will end up losing fans and supporters if they continue to stay with their decision to ‘boycott’ the match against India.
“The emotions and spectators will be impacted. But, in the long run, no one will miss them. People will not think about it for a long time and they will ultimately move on,” the legendary cricketer concluded.