Threatening to pull out of Asia Cup again, Ramiz Raja brutally trolled by Indian fans

PCB chairman Ramiz Raja stated on Friday that Pakistan may consider pulling out of the Asia Cup 2023 if it is moved to a neutral venue. Pakistan is slated to host the 50-over Asia Cup next year, but India has indicated that it may not be able to visit its neighbouring country due to political reasons.

Raja had previously vowed to boycott the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, which is slated to take place in India. It appears that the former Pakistan captain has since changed his mind, and he now claims that, should their hosting rights be revoked, his team might be the one to withdraw from the Asia Cup.

"It's not as if we don't have hosting rights and we're pleading to host it. We won the rights fair and square. If India doesn't come, they won't come. If the Asia Cup gets taken away from Pakistan, maybe we're the ones that pull out," Raja said on the sidelines of the ongoing Test match between Pakistan and England. 

Raja is receiving a lot of flak on social media over his recent comments on boycotting the Asia Cup. Netizens are trolling the Pakistan Cricket Board chief for threatening India with boycott calls. Here's how Indian fans reacted to Raja's remark, which he made on Day 2 of the first Test match between Pakistan and England. 

What's all the fuss about?

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman Jay Shah, who is also the secretary of the BCCI, had said last month that the Asia Cup may be shifted to some neutral venue because India won't travel to Pakistan. This seems to have triggered the Pakistan Cricket Board and Ramiz Raja, who threatened to boycott the ODI World Cup that is scheduled to be held in India in 2023. 

Earlier, former Pakistan cricketer Danish Kaneria had slammed Raja over his boycott threat to India, saying that the PCB 'doesn't have the guts' to boycott an ICC event. Kaneria further said that India will not mind even if Pakistan pulls out of the World Cup because the country already has a huge cricket market. Kaneria stated that boycotting the World Cup will only affect Pakistan and its domestic cricket. 

Image: Twitter/AP