Pakistan-India political feud: Cricket, spectators to suffer the most

Recent sirens of war have deprived us of the feast of a bilateral cricket series

KARACHI: Political tensions have once again brought Pakistan and India on the verge of a war; however, with the notion of conventional confrontation out of question since the two neighbours are nuclear powers, halting the process of artist sharing and the abandonment of sporting series seems to be the only viable option for both countries to show their discontent towards each other’s policies.

Indian movies will not be screened throughout Pakistan after Indian extremists threatened Pakistani artists to leave the country. Thus, to follow suit, we will once again not be able to see Pakistani cricketers take on Indians on a cricket pitch for a very long time.

This never-ending feud has given rise to two important queries as far as the game of cricket is concerned.

Firstly, which board will suffer more monetarily? Secondly, and more importantly, how will you then quench the thirst of spectators who want to see Pakistan and India fight – not in a war field but in cricket grounds?

PHOTO: AFP

The first question has a clear-cut answer; Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has more to lose if any kind of bilateral cricket relations between both the countries come to a halt for a longer period of time – which is the case right now. The PCB is already trying to convince countries to start visiting the country again after the 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team bus. Meanwhile, the cost of playing in the UAE – our home venue away from home – has also not helped the board financially.

On the flip side of the coin, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is reaping more and more profits with every coming year. Their investment in the Indian Premier League (IPL) has matured and is a source of a big sum of profit at the end of every year’s tournament. Moreover, they are not fighting alienation in their own backyard since their home series see all the cricketing nations travelling to the country – another case of lesser investment and more profits if compared to Pakistan.

PHOTO: AFP

In the current scenario, a Pakistan-India series in the UAE could have helped the PCB to impregnate their accounts with money which could have been used for further development of the game. Also, the Pakistan Super League (PSL) has proved its potential of being a cash-cow for Pakistan, but the PCB still cannot rely on it to run all its errands. The future of the league promises a lot but Pakistan will have to wait on this investment for a few more years before it enters the phase of self-sustainment.

The conclusion that can be derived from this argument is that the PCB will not go bankrupt without a series against the BCCI; however, a few more bucks in the bag is never bad.

PHOTO: AFP

This said, the most important question of giving the cricket audience something to enjoy in terms of a Pakistan-India series has become another important point to ponder over for both boards.

Pakistan’s apolitical statements of keeping both cricket and politics apart and India’s politically pregnant statements of proving that their neighbour is a terrorism-sponsoring state and not talking about cricket till then has cleared the picture for cricket spectators.

The viewers from both countries know that Pakistan has never backed away from a good competition against India; however, the BCCI after the 2012-2013 limited overs series (T20I series drawn 1-1, ODI series won by Pakistan 2-1) has been avoiding staging a contest against the PCB.

PHOTO: AFP

There could be two reasons; one, the obvious reason, is that India does not want Pakistan to reap the fruits from a bilateral series, thus plotting to enforce bankruptcy which, somehow, did not happen. The other reason, which is every Pakistani reader’s favourite, and has been reiterated by some former Pakistani cricketers time and again, is that India fears to play against the ‘Men in Green’. There is no statistical data to prove this point but it looks good on paper.

Spectators also present the argument that India is ready to face Pakistan in ICC events but does not want to face the allegedly terrorism-sponsoring country otherwise. The bigotry is quite clear.

PHOTO: AFP

All in all, the recent sirens of war have once again deprived us of the feast of a Pakistan-India cricket series; one which is more savage than the Ashes and more entertaining than the never-ending Indian soaps.