Wasim Akram sends strong message to ICC amid rising India-Pakistan tension: 'I am sorry, but what I don't like is...'

As things seemingly refuse to improve, Pakistan great Wasim Akram has urged the ICC to take matters into its hands. Akram, the greatest left-arm pacer of all time, has sent a loud message to the International Cricket Council to keep 'politics away from sports’, which will put an end to years of animosity between the two countries as far as cricket goes. Akram brings up the old topic, hoping to see Pakistani cricketers featured in the IPL and vice versa, insisting that 'every player from every country' should be picked in T20 leagues.

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"I’m sorry. But what I don’t like in cricket is politics. Straightforward. Sports should be kept away from politics. In league cricket, pick every player from every nation. Be brave. Be bigger. But that's not happening, unfortunately. And I think that's where the ICC comes in. That's where cricket boards come in. It doesn’t matter who owns the league. It doesn’t matter who owns the teams. Every player from every nation should be picked," Akram said in an interview with Wisden Cricket.

The backdrop

Pakistan cricketers weren't always banned from playing the IPL. In fact, several of them featured in the inaugural edition back in 2008, with Shoaib Akhtar playing for Kolkata Knight Riders and Kamran Akmal for the Rajasthan Royals. Sohail Tanvir, was, in fact, the leading wicket-taker in the season for his 22 scalps. However, after the Mumbai terror attack in 2008, the BCCI showed the exit door to Pakistan and its cricketers, and they have yet to play the IPL since.

Pakistan's heinous acts outside the ground even impacted India-Pakistan bilateral cricket ties. The last played a Test series in 2007 and ODIs in 2012/13. The only occasions India and Pakistan play cricket today are during ICC or ACC events.

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