The Asia Cup cricket event begins on Tuesday, however for event organisers, sponsors and cricket followers from India and Pakistan, it gained’t be earlier than Sunday, when the 2 regional superpowers face one another, that the occasion will spring into motion.
Any India vs Pakistan match is taken into account a marquee occasion, however the current battle between the 2 international locations has introduced further warmth to the encounter in Dubai.
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In spite of everything, will probably be their first assembly for the reason that South Asian archrivals returned from the brink of an all-out struggle in Could, when each international locations clashed at their shared border earlier than an internationally-brokered ceasefire.
It has been virtually 18 years since India and Pakistan final met in a Check match – the five-day model of cricket broadly thought to be the head of the game – and virtually 13 years since both facet crossed the border to play a bilateral sequence.
However between September 14 and 21, if outcomes go the way in which the organisers hope for, Pakistan and India may find yourself enjoying thrice.
A decades-old political rift between the 2 nuclear-armed international locations is blamed for the frosty sporting ties, however the identical variations are put aside when a regional or world cricket occasion comes round.
Pakistan was carved out of India in 1947, leading to a bloody division of the subcontinent by the colonial British. Over the previous 78 years, the nations have fought 4 wars, exchanged numerous skirmishes and remained at odds primarily over the disputed Kashmir area that each declare in entirety however administer components of.
The Asia Cup isn’t any stranger to political affect and has confronted the repercussions of strained ties between the 2.
When India hosted the event in 1990-91 amid an rebellion in India-administered Kashmir, Pakistan pulled out. The next version, in 1993, was referred to as off amid heightened tensions between the 2 sides.
However regardless of the strained relations on a political degree and the present cricket deadlock, which started in 2013, India and Pakistan have often confronted one another at tournaments for the Worldwide Cricket Council (ICC) and for the Asian Cricket Council’s (ACC) Asia Cup.
‘Maximising eyeballs and income’
Why, then, is it inconceivable for either side to separate politics from sport for bilateral exchanges if they will comply with share a cricket area probably thrice in two weeks?
“It’s all about maximising eyeballs and event income,” Sami Ul Hasan, former head of the ICC’s media and communication departments, instructed Al Jazeera.
“When the ICC plans a worldwide occasion, organisers don’t take into account rankings or every other elements. It’s all about ensuring India and Pakistan play in opposition to one another at the very least as soon as.
“During the last 20 years, the ICC has modified the format of its tournaments a number of instances in an effort to be certain that occurs.”
The ICC has, up to now, admitted to fixing event attracts to make sure Pakistan and India find yourself in the identical group.
Put up-tournament viewership figures verify the excessive scores for India-Pakistan matches.
In keeping with the ICC, the India vs Pakistan fixture on the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 was one of many most-watched one-day worldwide matches in India.
It generated over 26 billion minutes of watch time on TV, surpassing the India-Pakistan match from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, which had recorded 19.5 billion viewing minutes.
Event organisers, such because the ICC and the ACC, usually promote broadcasting rights and sponsorships to the very best bidders.
The ICC and ACC distribute the income generated at these tournaments amongst their member nations, who stand to learn from the next variety of India-Pakistan matches as properly.
In keeping with Hasan, the primary query posed by broadcasters and sponsors is on India-Pakistan matches.
“It’s difficult to drag off a number of India-Pakistan video games at world occasions, however simpler to realize this final result in smaller tournaments such because the Asia Cup,” he stated.
“Even on the Asia Cup, probably the most they’ve bought to this point is 2 matches per event. They’ve been making an attempt for a 3rd [in the final] however it hasn’t materialised but.”
Within the event’s 16 iterations since its inception in 1984, India and Pakistan have by no means met in a last.
‘Don’t care about India vs Pakistan’
Though India versus Pakistan is at all times the most important draw at any cricket event, followers from different taking part nations aren’t bothered by the dearth of consideration and respect proven to their groups.
“I solely care about Sri Lanka and never about what occurs in an India-Pakistan match so long as Sri Lanka walks away with the cup,” Mohammad Akram, a Sri Lankan, stated.
“For us, it’s about our crew and the identical goes for followers of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and different international locations.
“Sri Lanka has at all times been sidelined. It has at all times been about India and Pakistan, however we don’t thoughts as a result of our crew has performed probably the most finals.”
Sri Lanka are the second most profitable crew within the Asia Cup and have certified for a document 13 finals, lifting the trophy six instances. One other win within the last would tie them with the reigning champions India.
Bending the foundations
The concentrate on this rivalry can generally result in unprecedented decision-making and bending of the foundations.
On the final Asia Cup held in Sri Lanka two years in the past, the India-Pakistan group-stage sport was deserted as a consequence of rain. As each groups reached the subsequent spherical, and with extra rain anticipated, organisers put aside a reserve day to their Tremendous 4 fixture, the one match in that spherical to learn from the allocation.
That call was taken in the midst of the event, elevating eyebrows and attracting criticism from cricket specialists and followers of different taking part international locations.
“Guidelines should not be bent for anybody. What occurred then didn’t set a superb instance for the sport,” Hasan stated. “Taking part in circumstances and guidelines are signed off previous to the event and aren’t tinkered with.
“Altering them to accommodate sure fixtures provides out a message that all the things is about cash and commercialisation of that single fixture.”
India’s sporting ambitions
Regardless of the continued political rift between India and Pakistan, each units of cricket boards and governments have given these fixtures a inexperienced gentle.
In August, India introduced a brand new sports activities coverage whereby its groups and athletes is not going to be allowed to interact in bilateral sports activities occasions with Pakistan, however can face them in worldwide tournaments.
It additionally prohibited Indian athletes from travelling to Pakistan and refused to host groups and people from Pakistan.
The transfer, based on former ICC official Hasan, is to make sure that India’s ambitions of bidding for the 2036 Olympics and the 2030 Commonwealth Video games aren’t affected.
“For India to say it doesn’t need to play in opposition to Pakistan as a consequence of political causes would weaken its case as a possible world sporting hub,” he stated.
