The India-Pakistan group league showdown of this ICC T20 World Cup on Sunday will be not be remembered for a cricketing reason – irrespective of the batting fireworks or extraordinary bowling feat it may witness. 

Rather, it will go down in history as a sordid example of geopolitics spilling onto the cricket arena while how a single match-up can hold the entire sport to ransom.

 Come to think of it, the costliest cricket match of the globe was looking like a non-starter even less than a week back – what with the Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reiterating that they would stand by their ‘brothers’ Bangladesh and not play India on Saturday. 

After the impasse was eventually resolved following a tripartite meeting in Lahore between the ICC, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Bangladesh Cricket Board (PCB), all parties were claiming victory and the decision was arrived at to protect the ‘spirit of cricket.’

 Each to their own, but it’s a no-brainer that eventually money spoke. A conservative estimate few days back had put the business value of the match to the tune of $ 250 million – making it too much at stake for all parties concerned. 

With the marquee game now barely less than 24 hours away, it may be irrelevant to discuss as to which party has the last laugh but the one thing is for certain – over leveraging on a single game is turning out to be detrimental for the health of the sport.

While all those classic India-Pakistan clashes have been very much a part of the folklore, the two neighbours’ stormy relationship had often cast a shadow on the bilateral tours as well as the Asia Cup. 

However, ever since the ICC gave in to the broadcasters’ demands to club the two countries in one group for a guaranteed contest after the 2011 ICC World Cup – with the possibility of another meeting in the later stages – it started diluting the rest of the tournament.

This is where PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, also Pakistan’s Home Minister, decided to extract their pound of flesh ahead of the last ICC Champions Trophy in 2025. 

The BCCI, as in the past, again cited the Indian government’s directive for not sending their team to play in Pakistan even as virtually all cricketing countries had been visiting them for international fixtures – while the Pakistan Super League (PSL) had been continuing without a hiccup.

When the backchannel talks started in early 2025, Naqvi stuck to his guns and eventually a MoU was signed between the two boards where India and Pakistan would not be playing on each other’s soil till 2027. 

There are also unconfirmed reports that the PCB wants the hybrid model to continue for another three years as they know they are equal stakeholders in the biggest game of them all.

The off-the-field pressure will be telling on both Suryakumar Yadav & Co and his counterpart Salman Ali Agha’s men when they walk onto the historic R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo tomorrow morning. 

If one thought that hosting the match on such a neutral venue will mean it may be relatively free of all the frenzy – that’s a mistake as loads of Indian supporters have decided to brave the skyrocketing air and hotel fares to make their way to the island for just one match.

From a cricketing perspective, the Men in Blue may be under a bit of pressure as they have reached Colombo only on Friday night and will have just one practice session to get a grip on the conditions. 

The defending champions, who have won both their games so far but are sitting on top of Group A thanks to a superior run-rate to Pakistan (also two out of two), have a number of fitness issues - though reports are that in-form Abhishek Sharma has recovered well from a stomach bug and may figure in the playing XI.

The green shirts, meanwhile, have been camping in Colombo for nearly last two weeks and will look to go spin-heavy to slow down the rival stroke makers. Can they buck the trend after losing all three matches against India in the Asia Cup where they met last – or will India make it 8-1?

We will know soon - weather gods permitting as there is a possibility of rains in Colombo on Sunday.

Venue: R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Start: 7 p.m.

Source: National Herald
--Agencies