IT had been made clear to Pakistan that a Champions Trophy without India was not even a distant possibility, even if it was their bitter neighbours who had refused to send their team across the border. India’s financial power in the sport meant it was hell-bent on playing its matches on a neutral venue. Even cricket’s world governing body, the ICC, was powerless to act; instead, it asked the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Board of Control for Cricket in India to settle the matter themselves. Holding its first ICC tournament since co-hosting the 1996 World Cup, the PCB did the next best thing it could: it pushed for equality. And after what seemed like an eternity — and a growing stalemate — it succeeded. The ICC’s decision on Thursday was indicative of this when it announced that the matches involving the two teams at ICC tournaments hosted by either country till 2027 would be played at a neutral venue. The arrangement will also apply to the 2028 Women’s T20 World Cup to be hosted by Pakistan. It will start with next year’s Champions Trophy, slated to run from Feb 19 to March 9, with the agreement between the PCB and the BCCI clearing the way for the final schedule to be announced. The UAE is the most likely destination for India’s matches although Sri Lanka has also been mentioned.

The agreement, however, has dashed hopes of a first match between the arch-rivals on Pakistani soil since India’s last visit in 2008 for the Asia Cup. It is the passion for the game that unites the two nations and it should have stayed that way with sports and politics kept separate. Unfortunately, cricket continues to bear the brunt of the frayed diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan. Pakistan still sent its team to India for the ODI World Cup last year, despite the latter’s refusal to come for the Asia Cup months before the World Cup, but New Delhi was still keen on making a statement through cricket to push its anti-Pakistan agenda. It did not get all it desired though, and Pakistan has ensured that India will not get their way on every occasion. But while there is some solace that the PCB stuck to its demands and got what it wanted, there is disappointment that the game itself was unable to bridge the gap.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2024