Are Some Cricket Rivalries Over-hyped?
Asif Iqbal with Salim Parvez
The ongoing Champions Trophy, the first ICC event to be held in Pakistan since 1996, has been a real dampener, in so many ways.
Besides the rain in two major playing centres – Lahore and Rawalpindi – having washed out a number of matches, it has also seen Pakistan failing to get to the knockout stages.
Without finger pointing at individuals, which is being done by a number of former Pakistan players in TV channels and social media, the host side was most disappointing in their execution of plans. They were beaten by much better prepared ODI sides, in New Zealand and India, in their two games in the group stages, before their clash with Bangladesh was called off due to wet ground, without a ball being bowled.
My prime focus for this piece is how ICC, despite well-documented pledge in their manifesto, was unable to keep politics out of the game. Admittedly Pakistan’s standing is no where what it used to be a couple of decades ago, but ICC in all fairness was duty bound in making it very clear to the BCCI that no hybrid arrangements will be good enough for the Champions Trophy, after having done so with the Asia Cup in 2022.
It is a great shame for the game of cricket that the Government of India have once again interfered to take away the hosting rights from Pakistan, by refusing to allow their national side to cross the border and play their matches in Lahore. The general mood in the cricketing circles of the sub-continent is of utter disappointment and that includes the general public, the players and the cricket Boards of both countries, not to mention the keen follower of the game all around the world. To have an India-Pakistan clash in Dubai is fine if UAE were the host of the tournament but in the present scenario it is most unfortunate for the well being of the game.
Going back to the India-Pakistan game played in Dubai, it simply re-emphasised the point that the rivalry between the two countries is nothing but an over-hyped sporting event. Since India very rightly sits among the top teams in all three formats of international cricket and Pakistan is no longer the force and being poorly managed at present, the greatest rivalry has lost its gloss.
It is no longer the ‘clash of the titans’ It is to be admitted that Pakistan in present can only beat the big sides on their bad day and in recent years has looked so feeble to lose to Bangladesh, West Indies and Afghanistan, home and away. We must accept our failings and once again regroup with sharper focus on club cricket and our first-class cricket structure, to have a bigger and better quality of cricketers in our pool of players, available for international cricket. Our best coaches need to be working their guts out in NCA in Lahore and their subsidiary wings in other major cities, including Karachi, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan, Hyderabad, Sialkot, etc.to name a few.
The gulf between the two sides is so huge that India-Australia or India-England series entails more appetite for the cricket fan. Since the two countries only play each other in ICC or ACC tournaments, with the last bilateral exchange dating back to the 2012-13 winter, it is a deadlock that continues to frustrate all, including most of the leading commentators, who feel denied of something very unique.
I know exactly how they feel on the subject, since I was part of the Pakistan team in the period: 1978-80, that played two Test series, after a lapse of 17 long years. If ICC fails to take measures to avoid politics mixing with cricket, India-Pakistan rivalry will continue to lose its significance in the modern day cricket. The general public to get the feeling that hybrid model can work when it involves Pakistan being the host, is a result of ICC-BCCI collaboration, is not a healthy sign for the game, moving forward.