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Ex-Pakistan cricketer hopes India boycott Asia Cup match to save them from humiliation: 'They'll thrash us so badly...'
Arch-rivals India and Pakistan could potentially face each other thrice in the 2025 Asia Cup in UAE. AP
Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has warned the current team against facing India in the upcoming Asia Cup following their 2-1 ODI series defeat at the hands of West Indies in the Caribbean. The Men in Green suffered their first ODI series defeat against the West Indies in 34 years with a humiliating 202-run defeat in the series-decider in Tarouba on Tuesday, getting bundled out for 92 after being set a challenging 295 to win.
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It marked a disappointing end to what was a mixed tour of the Caribbbean, with the Salman Agha-led side winning the T20I leg 2-1 and the ODI team captained by Mohammad Rizwan going 1-0 before conceding the series with back-to-back losses.
And the manner in which the two-time world champions across white-ball formats capitulated in their most recent game doesn't bode well heading into the upcoming Asia Cup that is set to take place in the T20 format in the UAE next month.
Basit, for one, hoped for once that India would carry out a boycott of their meeting with their struggling arch-rivals to save Pakistan what he believes is a humiliation in waiting.
'I pray India refuse to play against Pakistan in the Asia Cup, just like how they did at the World Championships of Legends. Itni buri tarah maarenge na vo, ki aapki soch hai (They will thrash us so badly you can't even imagine),' Basit, who played 19 Tests and 50 ODIs for Pakistan, said on The Game Plan YouTube channel.
Everyone goes mad when you lose to India: Basit
The 54-year-old added that a defeat against any other team will not sting Pakistan fans as much as a loss against India would, especially if it's by a lopsided margin.
'If we lose to Afghanistan, no one would care much in this country. But everyone goes mad the moment you lose to India,' Basit added.
India and Pakistan find themselves in Group A in the upcoming eight-team continental event along with Oman and UAE, while reigning T20 champions Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Hong Kong comprise Group B.
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The India-Pakistan showdown is scheduled to take place on 14 September in Dubai although some uncertainty continues to linger over the fixture due to the recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam that was followed by a four-day military standoff between the two nations.
The format of the tournament, however, is such that the two nations could find themselves facing each other thrice including in the final, despite all the talk of India severing sporting ties with Pakistan including and especially cricket.
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