Shoaib Akhtar Slams BCCI, Cricket Australia In Rant On Monkeygate, IPL
Shoaib Akhtar was very critical of BCCI and Cricket Australia and also of the way the T20 World Cup had been postponed.
- Abhimanyu Bose
- Updated: July 23, 2020 12:41 pm IST
Highlights
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Shoaib Akhtar took a dig at the BCCI and Cricket Australia
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He spoke about the Monkeygate incident that happened in 2008
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He accused CA of letting India off easy due to BCCI's influence
Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar took a dig at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Cricket Australia (CA) as he fumed about economic inequality in cricket. Speaking on a YouTube chat show with Geo Cricket, Akhtar alleged that CA let incidents like the infamous Monkeygate controversy pass due to the BCCI being a financial powerhouse. The Monkeygate scandal unfolded when senior Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh was charged with racially abusing Australian all-rounder Andrew Symonds during the second Test of India's tour Down Under in 2008.
"Sometimes they get easy wickets in Melbourne, someone calls another person a monkey but gets away with it, there are threats to boycotting the series. I am asking the Australians, where are their ethics?" Akhtar said.
"You made kids cry for scratching a cricket ball and they got away by calling someone a monkey. When they (BCCI) threatened to end the series, they (Cricket Australia) said no such incident happened. Are these your moral grounds?" the legendary pacer fumed.
"Forget all this drama, just say that we need money. The money comes from the BCCI, you quietly keep taking it," he said.
Akhtar also had a few words about the T20 World Cup being postponed, with reports of the IPL taking place in the September-November window instead.
"T20 World Cup could have also happened, but I had already said this earlier that they won't let it happen. IPL should not be damaged, let the World Cup go to hell," Akhtar said.