The Pakistani spinner was signed for the HundredFormer Indian batter Sunil Gavaskar says he can’t see Pakistan now being part of the Asia Cup amid tensions with India. Photo: AFP/FileIndia cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has alleged that the signing of Pakistan spinner Abrar Ahmed by an Indian-owned Hundred franchise in England "indirectly contributes to the deaths of Indian soldiers and civilians". That did not come to pass, but Sunrisers Leeds -- from the same group that controls IPL team Sunrisers Hyderabad -- faced a fierce social media backlash after last week clinching a deal for Abrar, paying £190,000 ($252,000) for his services. Former India captain Gavaskar, 76, launched a blistering attack in a weekend column for the Indian newspaper Mid-Day. "There's still time to undo the wrong and hopefully wiser counsels will prevail," added Gavaskar, the first batsman to score 10,000 runs in Test cricket.

Source: The Express Tribune March 17, 2026 12:09 UTC