Former Pakistan Test cricketer and legendary all-rounder Mudassar Nazar insists that despite the rise of India due to the wealth of the IPL, his country will once again become the king of Asian cricket.
According to the French news agency AFP, before the rise of India, from the mid-1980s to the 1990s, the Pakistani team led by Imran Khan, due to its excellent performance, which also won the 1992 World Cup, Ruled the cricket of the subcontinent.
"I don't think Pakistan has changed," Mudassar Nazar told AFP ahead of the T20 World Cup match between Pakistan and India in Dubai on Sunday. This is India that has changed.
"With the advent of the IPL, they used the money very well. If you look at the domestic competitions in India, look at all their associations, how well they have organized their cricket.
"Everyone has their own stadium, their own academies, school cricket and state cricket," he said. Cricket is booming in India.
"But the ones who are doing a good job permanently are England and Australia ... India is at the forefront and one of the three best sides in the world.
Launched a year after the T20 World Cup in 2008, the IPL ushered in a new era of whiteball cricket that saw a record increase in the number of spectators and fans.
The IPL has emerged as the richest T20 league in the world with a brand value of میں 6.7 billion in 2019, according to Duff and Phelps Financial Consultancy.
Meanwhile, Pakistan remained a no-go zone for international cricket after the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in 2009.
Referring to Indian cricket, Mudassar Nazar said, "The BCCI is very careful about using IPL money. "Indian cricket has been strong before, but since then it has become much more consistent."
But he is hopeful that the Pakistan Super League (PSL) - the country's premier T20 tournament and the new administration - will revive the game.
Mudassar Nazar, who played 76 Tests for Pakistan from 1976 to 1989, believes it is a matter of time. In a decade we are better than the rest of the world and then someone else will take your place.
He also sees a bright future under the new PCB chairman Rameez Raja.
"Things are starting to get better with PSL, but it will take time."
Pakistan had a much better record of winning than India but now it loses in every World Cup
In this regard, Mudassar Nazar said that the national team will one day take a turn and record its first victory against India in the World Cup.
