Former England spinner Monty Panesar has clarified opted out of the Kashmir Premier League, which is backed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and is being staged in PoK, according to news agency ANI. The league will start on August 6.

He said that that he wasn’t blackmailed by anyone and decided to opt out on his own. This comes after Pakistani fans criticised the former cricketer for opting out of the event due to BCCI’s pressure. Panesar tweeted, “I haven’t been blackmailed by anyone. I have been given the advice I understand the consequences and it’s my decision. So pipe down.”

Also Read| Virender Sehwag leaves social media users confused with his new gimmick

He said that he decided to leave the league due to India-Pakistan political tension, adding he does not want to be in the middle of this.

Also Read| England skip Joe Root weighs ‘the cost’ of Ashes over Australia COVID constraints

One of the Pakistan fans took to Twitter to say: “@bcci blackmailed @MontyPanesar successfully.”

He also clarified that he can only follow English board’s advice.

Monty Panesar, born on April 25, 1982, is a former English international cricketer who made his Test cricket debut in 2006 against India in Nagpur. He played his One Day International debut for England in 2007. He last played for Northamptonshire in 2016 in English county cricket.

Also Read| Mayank Agarwal ruled out of first Test vs England after sustaining concussion

According to reports, five international players are likely to participate in the league. Both the BCCI and Pakistan Cricket Board have approached the International Cricket Council — the former to ask that the tournament not be recognised, and the latter to protest the BCCI’s actions.

Shahid Afridi is one of the organisers of the event and Shoiab Akhtar will also be participating in the event.