The Indian Cricket Committee had taken the first step to assert itself, but now it had no financial influence it boasted. They needed support if India fought back against the English and Australian Cricket Commissions.
To that end, the Pakistan Cricket Committee and Sri Lanka cricket are known by another name – they worked together to fight a good fight. This was not the first time a World Cup has been held in the region. There was 1987, and the charges were led by India, but in 1996 the Pakistani committee played a much more important role.
While fans today may not be able to speculate, in 1996 there was not much separation between India and Pakistan’s cricket committees in terms of resources. This meant that the Indian committee wanted to actively cooperate with its counterparts across the border.
It was also different in that profit motives did not drive all decisions and actions. When Australia refused to tour Sri Lanka over security concerns, a joint Indian and Pakistan team played games instead to show how safe it was. Even today, travel to Sri Lanka and talk to something like Arjuna Rana Tonga. This is an unforgettable gesture. These were the days when the Cricket Board answered the calls of pain from its neighbors and allies. Today, signs of weakness are invitations that are more misused.
As always when India and Pakistan are involved, there are more, if not more, if not more. Everyone, including the Indian committee, wants to see the two teams compete against each other, but the political situation means India has not had a chance to travel to Pakistan.
Pakistan is the designated host of this tournament and spends resources and time revamping the infrastructure, but it is already clear that they have no complete control over their party. First of all, the issues have been that they have held customary pre-match captain competitions, opening ceremonies, and holding the usual events at ICC events. You need to travel to Pakistan.
Both Javagal Srinath, the boss of most of the match umpires, and Nitin Menon, the best umpire in the world, were pulled out. According to ICC norms, they were not involved in Indian matches in the United Arab Emirates.
Photos and videos from Pakistani property are being circulated on social media, and their absence has made the Indian flag stand out. They have not traveled to Pakistan, but India is still the highlight of the tournament in many ways. Still, this is a ground situation.
Officially, representatives of the Indian government and the Cricket Committee (it is not always easy to distinguish one from the other) say it is not safe to travel to Pakistan. But everyone knows that it is pure politics that doesn’t allow India to play cricket across borders.
Some may say that sports and politics should not be mixed, but the fact that the problem is that sports do not work in a vacuum. Cricket may be a cash cow that never fails in India. After all, it’s a match-fixed crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic, and while it can’t actually drive machines crazy, it’s not enough to negate the political situation.
And just going back to 2004 when India toured Pakistan, we need to see how sports and politics coexist, as well as closely as they are. The tour did not stop the war and no serious trade relations were forged. However, my eyes were opened to both sides of the border.
Today, cricket’s most favorable and fierce rivalries are sometimes exported to Melbourne and Johannesburg, among others. What points are being created, what is achieved by denializing the opportunity to witness and experience the competition among fans in India and Pakistani, is that the very end is achieved. .
