Former Pakistan cricketers criticise Bangladesh flag ban

KARACHI: Former Pakistani players hit out after Bangladesh banned their own fans from waving non-Bangladeshi flags at the ongoing World Twenty20 tournament.

Hosts Bangladesh issued the order after an outcry over images of locals waving Pakistani flags during the recent Asia Cup.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) made the ruling on Tuesday, on the eve of the country’s 44th Independence Day.

Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad said the move violated the spirit of the game.

“I am surprised at the decision,” Miandad told AFP. “Cricket is a game which harbours sportsman spirit and this decision violates that spirit.”

Another former captain, Mohammad Yousuf, urged the BCB to rethink.

“I am sure that the BCB will take this decision back because it defies logic and I am sure the International Cricket Council will seek some explanation,” Yousuf said.

Yousuf, who played 90 Tests and 288 ODIs for Pakistan, said he had always been warmly received in Bangladesh.

“I have seen the home fans want to support Pakistan whenever their own team is not competing against us,” he said.

Younis Khan, another former captain, agreed Bangladesh should reconsider their decision.

“It is against the spirit of the game as you cannot stop anyone from supporting his favourite team,” he said.

Bangladesh and Pakistan face each other in a potentially crucial World T20 group match in Mirpur on Sunday.

 

Protesters raise Russian flag in Ukrainian cities

KIEV: Dozens of people were hurt in clashes on Saturday when pro-Russia activists stormed the regional government's headquarters in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv and raised the Russian flag, local media said.
The UNIAN news agency said thousands of people had gathered outside the building during a protest against the country's new leaders who ousted President Viktor Yanukovich a week ago.
The violence signalled that Ukraine's new leaders could face a challenge in mainly Russian-speaking regions that oppose the largely pro-Western course charted by the newly installed government.
The leaders of Crimea, a Black Sea peninsula with an ethnic Russian majority that is home to a Russian naval base, say they have joined forces with Russian servicemen to exert control over key buildings.
Russian parliament has approved a proposal by President Vladimir Putin to deploy troops in Ukraine.
Protests against the new authorities also took place on Saturday in other cities, including Odessa, Dnipro and Donetsk, Yanukovich's home town and power base.
The Russian flag was raised over the regional government building in Donetsk by several thousand pro-Russia activists waving the Russian tricolour and chanting "Russia! Russia!, witnesses said.
Donetsk authorities issued an appeal for a referendum to be called on the future status of the region.