Resuming the battle on the field

We can now possibly look forward to Pakistan and India squaring off against each other soon at a neutral location

On the face of it, organising a bilateral cricket contest should not be a very complicated task. All it requires is for two cricket boards to put their heads together at a given point in time and finalise a plan for a series if there is genuine interest on both sides for such a contest. But logic and rationality go out of the window when Pakistan and India are involved. Inflated egos and a misplaced sense of righteousness take over. However, with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif giving his approval for resumption of bilateral cricketing ties between India and Pakistan, we can now possibly look forward to the archrivals squaring off against each other soon at a neutral location other than the UAE. The BCCI had earlier raised objections over playing in the UAE and insisted Pakistan play in India, something which the Pakistan Cricket Board understandably ruled out, given that it was the latter’s turn to host India. The BCCI now awaits clearance from the Indian government and we sincerely hope that extremist elements in that country will not be allowed to dictate the agenda and the South Asian neighbours will be able to meet each other on the cricket field next month.



There is still some confusion over the venue of the series, although Sri Lanka looks favourite to get the nod. As is well-documented, Pakistan were eager to ‘host’ the series in the UAE. The BCCI, however, flatly refused the choice of venue, citing match-fixing concerns that apparently make the UAE a dangerous place for Indian players. It is important here to highlight the farcical nature of this excuse as cricketers in the past have been found to have engaged in corrupt activities all over the world, including in India itself. The refusal to play in the UAE and the failure to come up with a credible reason for it did not reflect well on the BCCI. Bilateral relations between the two countries and their cricket boards have not been rosy in the recent past. However, there are now signs that at least on the cricket front we might be moving towards a friendlier atmosphere. It is clear that Pakistan has now done all it can to ensure that the series goes ahead. The ball is now firmly in the Indian government’s court.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 28^th,  2015.

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