The Asia Cup cricket event begins on Tuesday, however for event organisers, sponsors and cricket followers from India and Pakistan, it received’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 latest conflict between the 2 international locations has introduced further warmth to the encounter in Dubai.
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In any case, it is going to be their first assembly for the reason that South Asian archrivals returned from the brink of an all-out battle in May, 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 extensively considered the top 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 taking part in 3 times.
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 international 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 is not 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 known as off amid heightened tensions between the 2 sides.
However regardless of the strained relations on a political stage and the present cricket deadlock, which started in 2013, India and Pakistan have usually 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 unattainable for either side to separate politics from sport for bilateral exchanges if they will comply with share a cricket subject doubtlessly 3 times 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 think about rankings or another components. It’s all about ensuring India and Pakistan play in opposition to one another a minimum of as soon as.
“During the last twenty years, the ICC has modified the format of its tournaments a number of instances with a purpose to make sure that occurs.”
The ICC has, prior to now, admitted to fixing event attracts to make sure Pakistan and India find yourself in the identical group.
Publish-tournament viewership figures verify the excessive rankings for India-Pakistan matches.
In accordance 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.
Match organisers, such because the ICC and the ACC, sometimes promote broadcasting rights and sponsorships to the 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 effectively.
In accordance with Hasan, the primary query posed by broadcasters and sponsors is on India-Pakistan matches.
“It’s difficult to tug off a number of India-Pakistan video games at international occasions, however simpler to attain this end result in smaller tournaments such because the Asia Cup,” he stated.
“Even on the Asia Cup, essentially the most they’ve bought to this point is 2 matches per event. They’ve been attempting for a 3rd [in the final] nevertheless 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 closing.
‘Don’t care about India vs Pakistan’
Though India versus Pakistan is all the time the largest draw at any cricket event, followers from different collaborating nations usually are not 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 staff and the identical goes for followers of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and different international locations.
“Sri Lanka has all the time been sidelined. It has all the time been about India and Pakistan, however we don’t thoughts as a result of our staff has performed essentially the most finals.”
Sri Lanka are the second most profitable staff within the Asia Cup and have certified for a file 13 finals, lifting the trophy six instances. One other win within the closing would tie them with the reigning champions India.
Bending the principles
The give attention to this rivalry can typically result in unprecedented decision-making and bending of the principles.
On the final Asia Cup held in Sri Lanka two years in the past, the India-Pakistan group-stage sport was deserted because of rain. As each groups reached the subsequent spherical, and with extra rain anticipated, organisers put aside a reserve day to their Super Four fixture, the one match in that spherical to learn from the allocation.
That call was taken in the course of the event, elevating eyebrows and attracting criticism from cricket specialists and followers of different collaborating international locations.
“Guidelines should not be bent for anybody. What occurred then didn’t set a great instance for the sport,” Hasan stated. “Enjoying situations and guidelines are signed off previous to the event and usually are not tinkered with.
“Altering them to accommodate sure fixtures offers out a message that every little thing is about cash and commercialisation of that single fixture.”
India’s sporting ambitions
Regardless of the continuing political rift between India and Pakistan, each units of cricket boards and governments have given these fixtures a inexperienced mild.
In August, India introduced a brand new sports activities coverage whereby its groups and athletes is not going to be allowed to have interaction 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, in accordance with former ICC official Hasan, is to make sure that India’s ambitions of bidding for the 2036 Olympics and the 2030 Commonwealth Video games usually are not affected.
“For India to say it doesn’t wish to play in opposition to Pakistan because of political causes would weaken its case as a possible international sporting hub,” he stated.
