Pakistan national cricket team wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal has shared his opinion on the decision taken by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to terminate the central contracts of star batsmen Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer.
Recently, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the central contract list for the 2023-24 season and the biggest news was the removal of Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan from the list.
The above mentioned batsmen have been regular members of the Indian team for quite some time and also played key roles in important matches. However the BCCI decided to punish them for their indiscipline in ignoring the BCCI’s directives to participate in the domestic red-ball cricket – the Ranji Trophy.
Ishan Kishan withdrew from the tour of South Africa in December 2023 due to personal reasons and recently returned to competitive cricket during the DY Patil tournament. During this period, the board asked him to take part in domestic cricket, but he did not do so.
Similarly, Shreyas Iyer, after being dropped from the last three Tests against England, did not participate in the Ranji Trophy and decided to train with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Shreyas Iyer reportedly told the BCCI that he had back pain, but the NCA had declared him fit. However, he is now available and taking part in the Ranji Trophy semi-final for Mumbai.
Despite losing the central contracts, the duo will remain available for international cricket selection but there is a big question mark over their selection for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024. Several former cricketers have shared their views on this matter and the last one in Join the bandwagon is a cricketer for the Pakistan national cricket team.
BCCI has taken the right decision – Kamran Akmal
In a video shared on his official YouTube channel, Kamran Akmal slammed Shreyas Iyer. He said:
“Shreyas Iyer played the first two Tests of the series. If you don’t value cricket for which you came to the national team, what message will you give to all the young people?
Kamran Akmal also gave his verdict on the decision taken by the BCCI. He said the governing body took the right decision by taking strict action as it would send a message to all cricketers.
“The BCCI has taken the right decision by taking such strict measures from the beginning to control the damage. If they had been given a central rate and contracts, many more players would have started playing on their own terms in the future. India has given a message to its players so that no one thinks of doing something like this next time. This is proof of good management. “Nobody is bigger than the game.”
Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer will hope to put up a good performance in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 to make their case for a return to the nation.single side.