Pakistan, sources suggest, are all set to fly to Sri Lanka on February 2 on an Air Lanka flight. The Australian team is also expected to be on the same flight. And yet, there is no formal announcement from Pakistan confirming participation in the World Cup. The intrigue continues, with no end to the posturing. This is where things go wrong for a sports body like the PCB. Its chairman has to separate his political self from his role as a cricket administrator; failing which, this is the inevitable outcome. Pakistan has no support within the echelons of the ICC, and all its posturing is out in the open.
Pakistan is caught between the devil and the deep sea. They need to humour Bangladesh and keep their support base intact in Dhaka. Having egged Bangladesh on, this becomes a requirement. The only way to do so is to try to harm the tournament and continue to show solidarity. On the other hand, they stand to alienate the ICC if they decide to boycott the India game. Nothing has changed since the announcement of the schedule in November for Pakistan to envisage a boycott. The Bangladesh situation is for Bangladesh to deal with, and for Pakistan to jump in and boycott the match against India would look ridiculous, to say the least.
My colleague Ashok Namboodiri asked a very pertinent question yesterday: will Pakistan boycott the final if they are pitted against India? Will they forfeit the final as well? Will they boycott the Under-19 World Cup game against India on February 1 in Zimbabwe? If they have to boycott, they should boycott or forfeit every game against India. To do so selectively only exposes the double standards and the ridiculous nature of this stance.
As I have said before, Mohsin Naqvi is a politician first and a cricket administrator much later. What matters to him is how his political electorate perceives him. For them, taking a hard stand against India is key. So what if it ends up destroying Pakistan cricket? So what if it leads to sanctions being imposed on the PCB? So what if it invokes the ire of the ICC and its member boards? For Naqvi, it is the perception back in Pakistan that matters, and all this posturing stems from his own political ambitions.
Ask any Pakistan cricketer — except perhaps Rashid Latif — and you will find that the majority want Pakistan to shed its shenanigans and play in the World Cup. And yet, the drama continues.
India, on the other hand, will play the final match of the bilateral series against New Zealand tonight. It will be interesting to see how Sanju Samson performs. This could well be his last opportunity, as in a World Cup you cannot continue to back someone who has underperformed. The World Cup is not a tournament for experimentation, and time is indeed running out for Samson.
Ishan Kishan is likely to return tonight, and there is a strong chance he could get the nod, with Tilak Varma expected to be back in the team soon enough. India will not concern themselves with Pakistan. Their sole focus will be on building an unbeatable combination capable of defending the world title.
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