Remember your breath. India and Pakistan are playing cricket in Dubai today. This somewhat rare display of one of the most intense sporting rivalries in the world is staged for the second time in eight days. And a third meeting during the T20 Asia Cup is very possible.
But what the two teams from the belligerent countries in South Asia are playing is not cricket. In a sense, it is politics by other means. This is how their Sunday match sparked a bitter quarrel on the issue of Indian players, who won the match, refusing to shake hands with Pakistani players.
From Sunday evening to Wednesday evening, when the match took place between Pakistan and the water, a fierce controversy surrounded the handshake. Pakistan protested against the referee of the Andy Pycroft match, who – as Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) claimed – had transmitted to the Pakistani captain at the time of the draw that there would be no handles between the players of the two games before or after the match.
It was something that the PCB was not willing to tolerate. Consequently, he threatened that he withdraws the Pakistani team from the Asian Cup if the match referee was not withdrawn from the panel of officials. Finally, after the suspense reached a breaking point, apologies from the Andy Pycroft match referee led Pakistan to appear for the match that had to be delayed for an hour. Pakistan is not very victory has established the match with India.
Now respect and courtesy towards the opponent is the essence of the sportsman’s mind. Whether it is an expression of greeting, farewell or agreement, a handshake is part of the social label in most civilized communities.
There are many cases in political history when former adversaries shaken hand during an event. A cricket match between India and Pakistan is certainly a major event that involves the emotions of hundreds of millions.
So how will it be tonight, when India and Pakistan come together to play the game in Dubai? Obviously, the match will take place in the context of diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan. We cannot ignore the four -day war between the two countries in May, which can also be considered a military match.
Because of the way India behaved in this confrontation, a demonstration of frustration and anger on his part would not be unexpected. After all, relations between the two countries are exceptionally tense at the moment, and a wave of patriotic, even xenophobic passions, is obvious on both sides.
Ideally, it should have been possible for the cricket to help reduce the temperature. This has happened in the past. But bilateral cricket has now been suspended since 2013.
The two countries only played in multi-team tournaments, and these matches were played on neutral land. It turns out that a cricket match between India and Pakistan is the biggest draw of the game, and for this reason, the tensions between the two countries would affect the way the main cricket tournaments are planned and played.
When I suggest that cricket could really play a positive role in reducing tensions, I think of two specific examples. In February 1987, the president of Pakistan at the time, General Ziaul Haq, decided to visit India without being officially invited. He was called an unexpected visit. His pretext was that he wanted to watch a cricket match between India and Pakistan, played in Delhi.
This was called General Zia’s cricket diplomacy. He had a meeting with the Prime Minister of India at the time, Rajiv Gandhi. This visit, he was noted, led to a withdrawal of borders troops and helped to avoid a war.
I remember the great excitement of the country encouraged by the Pakistani visit to the Indian Cricket team in 2004. It was a historic and successful tour and the first visit of the Indian team in Pakistan for 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 governs the imagination of the people, is part of the political history of South Asia.
I was the editor of this newspaper when Pakistan won the World Cup in 1992 and we had this big title of eight columns: “We govern the world”. Imran Khan won his charisma as a captain of this part and he opened his doors to become Prime Minister, but not without the help of the Pakistani politics referee, India won the World Cup in 1983, with Kapil Dev as captain of the team.
In 2021, a Bollywood film entitled “83” was released, with the accent put on Kapil Dev. There have been major biopics on the life of Mrs Doni and Sachin Tendulkar. But how did this big game have fallen to a point where an Indian captain refuses a handshake with his Pakistani counterpart and then proudly defends his lack in ways on a false pretension of national honor? Where will cricket go, as well as relations between countries, here?
Finally, I must admit that I am not really passionate about cricket. I do not understand a lot of rules and other features of the game. However, I often get involved in an India-Pakistan game and I love to look at its transmission live.
Another confession that I should do is that I am not satisfied with my lack of knowledge of the game. I am aware of so many learned and sophisticated people who have a great passion for the game. Cricket has been celebrated in literature and poetry. There are so many examples that I can quote.
Reading on the cricket and hearing friends talking about an individual match or performance or even at a special blow makes me feel that I miss something. Will cricket between India and Pakistan reduce my regret for not having been a big fan of cricket?
Warning: The points of view expressed in this play are the own writers and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of PK Press Club.TV.
The writer is a main journalist. It can be reached: [email protected]
Originally published in the news
