World Cup 2023, India vs Pakistan: Cricket Held Ransom To Other Games

New Delhi: As the ICC World Cup 2023 approaches, the vexed issue of whether Pakistan will come to India to play has still not been closed out. While the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has already signed the contract and are scheduled to play India at Ahmedabad on October 15. But then, no India-Pakistan cricket match can ever be complete with a lot of drama in the run-up, and this one is no different. With India having already clarified that our team won’t be travelling to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, all so-called solutions of the latter visiting here were one more laid bare, with the Pakistan government once again putting up conditions.

As things now stand, the new PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf and the CEO Salman Taseer are reportedly in Durban for a meeting with the International Cricket Council in an effort to change the situation once more.

All of this was a follow-up to the Pakistan Sports Minister Ahsan Mazari telling the Indian Express that if India were not travelling to Pakistan for the Asia Cup, he would like to see Pakistan’s World Cup matches being held at a neutral venue.

Nothing new in this really. After all, cricket between the two nations is the biggest headline-generating event, and any politician worth his salt, in both nations, would be amiss if he or she didn’t use it to maximise mileage.

To add to all this is this special ‘committee’ set up by Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif to probe whether their team should visit India for the World Cup. No less than Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto leads this committee.

Now, if this was a security issue, as is often touted, one would assume that a security expert would be more relevant. But as we know in the sub-continent, specifically in these two nations, a cricket match is the best way to make brownie points.

The PCB would gladly send their team over, there is no doubt, since the financial benefits for all concerned are immense. Any such match has always been a money-spinner and no one wants to lose out on their slice of the scrumptious cake.

But that does not necessarily cut with the government authorities. At least, not on the face of it. This is a golden opportunity to make a case for Pakistan and maybe even try to hold the ICC and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at some sort of ransom, for as long as possible.

The proverbial pound of flesh may not work out for the Pakistan authorities. PCB will surely be using all back channels to keep the trip alive and it will all in most likelihood be settled.

But not before some more noise and dust. After all, what better stage to hold a drama on than an India-Pakistan cricket match. The whole world watches this one!