Pakistan, it is being said, is in no mood to compromise. In fact, reports coming from the country suggest that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) isn’t willing to play its World Cup fixture against India in Ahmedabad, at the 132,000-capacity Narendra Modi Stadium. Reports also suggest that if a second hybrid-hosting model for the Asia Cup, presented to the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), is rejected, Pakistan will pull out of the tournament. Not only that, the PCB may even contemplate leaving the ACC.
“The loss is a few million dollars, which can be recovered from the PSL [Pakistan Super League],” say sources from within Pakistan. “But let the Asia Cup happen without Pakistan. If there is no India-Pakistan, there is no Asia Cup.
“The ACC was formed to ensure that the Asian bloc stays together. But if that’s no longer the case, why should Pakistan stay in the ACC and continue to lose out? There has to be a solution to this. And if leaving the ACC is the way forward, so be it.”
How realistic is this? Is it an empty threat and false bravado? Could it be a plant from the PCB to test the waters?
Reacting sharply to statements in the Indian media that Pakistan had consented to play the World Cup, a senior administrator, who did not wish to be named, said, “How can you all write that Pakistan has consented to travel to India for the World Cup? When Pakistan travelled in 2016 [for the World T20], the call was taken by the Pakistan government. The decision is not with the PCB or anyone else. When it is about travel to India, it is the government that will have to decide.”
Also Read: Pakistan Unwilling to Play in Ahmedabad, Places Conditions; Will BCCI Agree?
When I pointed out that the on-ground reality in Pakistan isn’t conducive for international sport, and that it would perhaps be better for the PCB to retain hosting rights and allow the Asia Cup to be moved to Sri Lanka, I was met with a sharp retort. “It is May at the moment,” said the administrator. “The tournament is in September. If political instability within Pakistan is the issue, we can take this call in August and cross the bridge when we need to.”
The truth is that Pakistan isn’t ready to blink yet. Can they go against the combined might of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB)? How the PCB views these questions will decide what Pakistan does in the weeks to come.
While it is true that an Asia cup without an India-Pakistan is not even a third of the tournament it should be, it is also true that Pakistan isn’t in a position to call the shots, with its domestic situation in total turmoil. Can it stand up to India and the otherwise-united Asian bloc? And with the hybrid model not finding takers, how long can the PCB hold out?
One thing we do know at the moment is that the PCB hasn’t yet received a draft of the proposed World Cup fixtures. While there are some drafts floating around, to say that Ahmedabad or Chennai or Kolkata will host the India-Pakistan match is premature. Also, with the future of the Asia Cup still in limbo, a lot will depend on what the government in Pakistan decides to do. With elections coming up in the country, could that also have a bearing on the decision?
There is also a very real financial aspect to this that the PCB cannot run away from. The value of almost every commercial deal that a cricket board signs is based on the assumption that the national team will qualify to play in the global tournaments. It’s all very well for politicians or even administrators to talk glibly about maybe not playing the World Cup – tit for tat, if India won’t play the Asia Cup in Pakistan – but that’s a decision that would have catastrophic financial consequences for the board and all its players.
Whatever the case, we haven’t yet seen or heard the last of this. The next few weeks could well decide the future of the ACC, the Asia Cup and maybe the World Cup fixture list. To go back to the question I started with, “Is Pakistan in a position to take the hard line, and if they do, will it cause irreparable damage to their cricket?”
We await a definitive answer.