Former South African batsman Herschelle Gibbs stirred a controversy yesterday when he accused the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of threatening him in an effort to prevent him from participating in upcoming Pakistan’s inaugural ‘Kashmir Premier League (KPL)’.
For the unversed, the Kashmir Premier League is a tournament that was conceived by a Pakistani politician called Shehryar Khan Afridi on the illegally occupied Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.
On Saturday, Gibbs took to his twitter and ranted about having received a threat from the Indian board and has hit out, insisting that the BCCI had no right to bring their political agendas with Pakistan into the equation.
“Completely unnecessary of the @BCCI to bring their political agenda with Pakistan into the equation and trying to prevent me playing in the @kpl_20. Also threatening me saying they won’t allow me entry into India for any cricket related work. Ludicrous”
Here, check out the Tweet:
Completely unnecessary of the @BCCI to bring their political agenda with Pakistan into the equation and trying to prevent me playing in the @kpl_20 . Also threatening me saying they won’t allow me entry into India for any cricket related work. Ludicrous ?
— Herschelle Gibbs (@hershybru) July 31, 2021
Herschelle is a part of the franchise ‘Overseas Warriors’ in the tournament. According to Sportskeeda which spoke to Gibbs, the former South African cricketer received word from the BCCI via Graeme Smith, who in turn was conveying a message from BCCI Secretary Jay Shah.
Meanwhile, the tweet went viral in no time and has been flooded with reactions from the netizens on it. People on social media have called him out, pointing out that Pakistan is organizing a competition in a restive territory that belongs to India, which has been forcibly occupied by Pakistan almost since it came into being.
Among many, a Twitter user Madhav Sharma, who is a popular cricket writer, gave a perfect reply to Gibbs. In his tweet, Madhav Sharma schooled Gibbs about the political ‘agendas’ behind the tournament. He also backed the BCCI on their bold move. He wrote:
“Don’t be so naive, Herschelle. If you want to play the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir Premier League, then even as a cricket fan, I would request the @BCCI to never allow you to enter India for cricket related work. Nothing is more important to us than our motherland.”
Here, check out the Tweet:
Don’t be so naive, Herschelle. If you want to play the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir Premier League, then even as a cricket fan, I would request the @BCCI to never allow you to enter India for cricket related work. Nothing is more important to us than our motherland.
— Madhav Sharma (@HashTagCricket) July 31, 2021
