Shahid Afridi: Cricket should be used as tool to improve relations between India and Pakistan

Islamabad: Pakistan Cricketer Shahid Afridi had said that politics should not come in between the sporting ties of India and Pakistan. He opined that, instead Cricket should be used as a tool to improve and strengthen the bilateral relations between the countries. According to the news reported in ibtimes, since 2013, India and Pakistan did not play bilateral series though they were playing ICC tournaments. Also, the last visit of Indian cricket team to Pakistan was Asia Cup campaign in 2008. At the inaugural St Moritz Ice Cricket tournament on February 8 and 9 in Switzerland, Afridi remembered his wonderful experiences playing with senior players like Virender Sehwag, Mohammed Kaif, Ajit Agarkar and Zaheer Khan. Afridi told Wisden India that “I believe politics should be kept away from sports. It should rather be used as a tool to improve relations between the countries. Sport is something which can play a big role in bringing peace.” He further told that “It was nice to meet and play with players from India after a long time. “That was something very positive about the tournament and I think it should continue. Both countries should also be playing international cricket against each other.”