Hold your breath. India and Pakistan play cricket in Dubai today. This somewhat rare view of one of the most intense sports rivals in the world is staged for the second time in eight days. And a third meeting under the T20 Asia Cup is very possible.
But what the two teams in the belligerent South Asian countries are playing is not cricket. In a way, it is politics in other ways. This is how their match Sunday had last triggered a bitter feud about the question of the Indian players who had won the match and refused to shake hands with the Pakistani players.
From Sunday night to Wednesday night, when the match was set between Pakistan and UAE, a tough controversy surrounded the handshake. Pakistan protested against fighting judge Andy Pycroft, who – as Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) claimed – had handed over to the Pakistani captain at the time of thrown that there would be no handshake between the players on the two pages before or after the match.
This was something that PCB was not willing to tolerate. Therefore, it threatened that it would pull the Pakistani team out of the Asia Cup if the fighting judge was not removed from the officials of the officials. Eventually, after the excitement had risen to a fracture point, an apology by combat referee Andy Pycroft led Pakistan to appear for the match that had to be delayed for an hour. Pakistan is not very victory has set the match with India.
Now respect and courtesy to the opponent is the essence of the sportsman’s spirit. Whether it is an expression of greeting, goodbye or appointment, a handshake is part of social etiquette in most civilized communities.
There are many cases in political history as old opponents were shaking hands as he attended an event. A cricket match between India and Pakistan is definitely a great event involving feelings from hundreds of millions.
So what will it be like this evening when India and Pakistan meet to play the game in Dubai? Obviously, the fight is held on the basis of the diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan. One cannot ignore the four-day war between the two countries in May, which can also be seen as a military fight.
Due to how India managed in this confrontation, a show of frustration and anger on his part would not be unexpected. After all, the connections between the two countries are unusually tense at this time, and a wave of patriotic, even xenophobia, passions are clear on both sides.
Ideally, it should have been possible for cricket to help lower the temperature. This has happened far back in the past. But Bilateral Cricket has now been suspended since 2013.
The two countries have only played each other in multi-team tournaments and these matches have been played for neutral reasons. It happens that a cricket match between India and Pakistan is the biggest feature of the game, and for this reason, tensions between the two countries would influence how big cricket tournaments are planned and played.
When I suggest that cricket could actually play a positive role in reducing tension, I have in mind two specific examples. In February 1987, the then President of Pakistan, Gen Ziaul Haq, decided to visit India without being officially invited. It was called an unannounced visit. His pretext was that he would watch a cricket match between India and Pakistan played in Delhi.
This was referred to as Gen Zia’s cricket diplomacy. He had a meeting with the then Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. This visit, it was noted, led to a troop withdrawal from the borders and helped to avert a war.
I remember the great excitement of the country initiated by Pakistan -the visit of the Indian cricket team in 2004. It was a historic and successful tour and the Indian team’s first visit to Pakistan of almost 15 years. It was considered a means of promoting peace and improving diplomatic relations between the two countries.
What cricket means in India and Pakistan and how it controls people’s imagination is part of South Asia’s political history.
I was the editor of this newspaper when Pakistan won the World Cup in 1992, and we had this great, eight-pillar headline: ‘We are governing the world’. Imran Khan served his charisma as captain of this site, and it paved his way to become prime minister, but not without the help of the referee of Pakistan’s politics, India won the World Cup in 1983 with Kapil Dev as the team’s captain.
By 2021, a Bollywood movie entitled ’83’ was released with a focus on Kapil Dev. There have been great biopics in the life of Mrs Doni and Sachin Tendulkar. But how has this amazing game dropped to a point where an Indian captain refuses a handshake with his Pakistani counterpart and then proudly defends his lack of manners on a false pretense of national honor? Where will the cricket as well as the relationship between the countries go from here?
Finally, I have to admit that I’m not really a cricket enthusiast. I don’t understand many of the game’s rules and other features. However, I often get involved in an India-Pakistan game and love to watch its live transmission.
Another confession I had to make is that I am not happy with my lack of knowledge of the game. I am aware of so many scholars and sophisticated individuals who have a great passion for the game. Cricket is celebrated in literature and poetry. There are so many examples that I can mention.
Reading about cricket and hearing some friends talk about a fight or an individual performance or even a particular shot makes me feel like I’m missing something. Will cricket between India and Pakistan reduce my regret for not being a big fan of cricket?
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and does not necessarily reflect Pakinomist.tv’s editorial policy.
The author is a senior journalist. He can be reached at: [email protected]
Originally published in the news
