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Pakistan present has the precocious manus due to the fact that it has travelled doubly precocious for ICC events, portion the BCCI is successful a hard position, writes Rashid Latif. (Express Archives)
Rashid Latif
Nov 16, 2024 10:18 IST First published on: Nov 16, 2024 astatine 12:17 IST
As per the International Cricket Council (ICC) guidelines, each teams are required to enactment successful ICC events hosted by immoderate subordinate nation. This is not new. Pakistan precocious travelled to India for the 2016 T20 World Cup and, much recently, for the 2023 ODI World Cup. Last year, the past Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) main Najam Sethi consulted the Pakistan government, and erstwhile the ICC cleared the information situation, the squad was fixed the greenish airy to play successful the ODI World Cup. The large question isn’t wherefore India is refusing to travel to Pakistan but connected what grounds is it unwilling to play successful Pakistan. I consciousness the PCB’s questioning of the Board of Control for Cricket successful India (BCCI) is wholly valid.
This is not a bilateral tournament. If India doesn’t come, it should look consequences. I can’t talk connected behalf of the PCB, but I judge that moving forward, the ICC should refrain from awarding Pakistan hosting rights if this is the outcome. The PCB should besides instrumentality a steadfast basal if India refuses to play successful the Champions Trophy. My contented is with the ICC. If India was ne'er going to question to Pakistan, wherefore did it grant Pakistan the hosting rights for the Champions Trophy? Pakistan present has the precocious manus due to the fact that it has travelled doubly precocious for ICC events, portion the BCCI is successful a hard position. If information were a concern, past the ICC should marque that determination. If different nations see the information adequate, past I don’t spot India’s problem. This appears to beryllium politically motivated, particularly fixed that immoderate authorities elections are coming up successful India.
My main interest is the disagreement this script is creating betwixt the younger generations. It is already significant. Tensions betwixt the 2 countries person ever existed, but India and Pakistan person played bilateral cricket successful the past. I retrieve the 1978-79 bid erstwhile India came to Pakistan. Sunil Gavaskar scored superb centuries successful some innings and contempt his bonzer effort, India mislaid the Karachi Test by 8 wickets, losing the bid 2-0. In that series, the legendary Kapil Dev made his debut successful Faisalabad. The existent procreation connected some sides of the borderline would relish seeing Virat Kohli and Babar Azam playing Test cricket successful Delhi and Lahore.
The ICC is the lone entity benefiting from this divide, profiting from India and Pakistan matches successful the UK, Australia, and present the US, claiming that it’s to turn the sport’s popularity. But what astir the fans successful India and Pakistan who can’t spend to question abroad? Don’t they merit to ticker these matches successful their location cities?
India-Pakistan cricket is similar a theatre. I tin lone entreaty to the Indian cricket committee to let India to travel and play. There whitethorn ever beryllium governmental tensions betwixt our countries, and it affects some sides, but please, fto cricket beryllium thing that tin span the divide. If you look back, whenever determination was a bilateral bid betwixt the 2 nations, leaders successful New Delhi and Islamabad would travel unneurotic astatine the time. Be it Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Nawaz Sharif, oregon Manmohan Singh, they didn’t interfere with cricket, seeing it arsenic an accidental to unite people. Now, electoral authorities has taken centre signifier successful some countries, and anti-India oregon anti-Pakistan sentiments person turned into votes.
I person heard comments that the ICC is indirectly controlled by the BCCI. I don’t judge successful this notion. It’s really the broadcasters who dictate terms. They privation to currency successful connected the hype, which is wherefore India and Pakistan are placed successful the aforesaid radical successful each ICC event.
The PCB should marque a beardown lawsuit that they volition besides boycott ICC events hosted successful India if India refuses to question to Pakistan. India is acceptable to big astatine slightest 3 oregon 4 ICC events (both men’s and women’s) successful the adjacent 7 years. These are important events, and Pakistan should usage this leverage to guarantee that if India doesn’t question to Pakistan, it would likewise boycott events successful India.
Backdoor diplomacy whitethorn beryllium a last option, but for now, the shot is successful the ICC’s court. There is nary crushed wherefore India shouldn’t question to Pakistan. But if the squad doesn’t, arsenic I mentioned earlier, the ICC should nary longer grant hosting rights to Pakistan.
The writer is simply a erstwhile Pakistan cricket captain. He played 37 Tests and 166 ODIs
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