Is the posturing by Pakistani Cricket Board a red herring?

Decades back, especially after India emerged as the surprise in the pack and went on to unseat the then near-invincible West Indies from the cricketing pinnacle and held aloft the 1983 ODI World Cup, it marked the commencement of India’s dominance in the sport. In subsequent years, the power of its governing body, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) became so awesome that even as India’s status as a world conqueror was getting cemented, the clout of the BCCI became so effective that its efforts ensured that the International Cricket Council (ICC) agreed to move the coveted World Cup out of England shores to the Indian subcontinent.

It was a major victory for Asian cricket as it marked a rare show of camaraderie between India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, who went on to host the premier limited overs championship. Undoubtedly, this coming together of Asian teams came as a shocker for champion outfits like England, Australia and to a lesser extent New Zealand, which were calling the shots until then. This perhaps was something that they could not digest. Over the years, this inner fear gradually lent a racist colour to the gentleman’s game with sledging being the most potent weapon in their armoury, a tactic that is perhaps more dangerous than the infamous Bodyline tactic.

However, call it geopolitics or ego-ridden battle for regional one-upmanship, the Asian ‘unity’ was thrown asunder with Pakistan, bolstered by its establishment, treating India as the arch-rival (sworn enemies, so to say). This obsession to get the better of the rival has been ingrained in the psyche of not only the players but even the people of the two neighbouring countries. “It does not matter if you don’t win the championship as long as you don’t lose to the arch-rival’ was the mindset that ruled people from India and Pakistan.

The 17-year refusal to play each other in Tests has done so much damage to this ‘hatred’ against one another that despite the subsequent resumption of cricketing relations between the two, the mindset remained as hostile as ever, in fact it kept deteriorating by the day. It is this very trait that saw a Pakistan captain refusing to shake hands with his Indian counterpart during a major tournament! Not surprisingly this ‘enmity’ has seeped into other disciplines like hockey and kabaddi, including in their respective Premier Leagues. It has taken a turn for the worse this year.

Even as the 10th men’s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to begin in Colombo and Kolkata on February 7, a bizarre situation has developed wherein the Asian ‘oneness’ lies in tatters. Pakistan has refused to play its group match against defending champion India on February 15 and would also forfeit their match even they have to clash against each other in the knockout stage.

This was ostensibly to extend solidarity with Bangladesh, which refused to play in India citing security concerns. This actually stemmed from their fear after Hindus were getting butchered in Bangladesh. Pakistan apparently took advantage of the strained Delhi-Dhaka relations to hit two birds with one stone-another loss to India would have made it miserable for its players back home and the PCB, while also gambling on the fact that ICC Chairman Jay Shah would not dare to suspend it to avoid a global backlash and being accused of victimising India’s political rival. Of course, the show will go on and ICC might magnanimously declare that action would be taken against Pakistan in due course. Nasser Hussain, former England captain, has now joined the ‘war’ by urging ICC to treat India, Pakistan and Bangladesh as equals.