Pakistan was praised on Tuesday for their “good sense” and “good for cricket” decision to reverse course and proceed with their highly anticipated Group A encounter against India at the T20 World Cup on February 15.
Late Monday night, the Pakistani government in Islamabad revoked its order for the cricket team to boycott the game in Colombo, ending a week-long standoff.
After a hectic weekend of discussions, the largest and most lucrative match in international cricket was brought back to life, as senior officials of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and International Cricket Council (ICC) flew to Lahore on Sunday to have discussions with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
The governments of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh appealed to the government of Islamabad on Monday, pleading with it to reverse its position and permit the game to proceed. The decision came shortly before midnight.
After “multilateral discussions, as well as the request of friendly countries, the Government of Pakistan hereby directs the Pakistan National Cricket Team to take the field on February 15”. The decision had been taken with the aim of “protecting the spirit of cricket”, the Islamabad government said on its official X account late Monday night.
“Pakistan did shake up the ICC by repeatedly saying they would not play. Eventually, the ICC had to send officials to Pakistan to sort out the issue” and that was “good for cricket”. We want strong teams to play so that the charm of the World Cup is not lost,” AFP quoted former India cricketer Madan Lal as saying.
The decision was also praised by Sri Lanka, the host of the match, which brings in millions of dollars in sponsorship, television rights, advertising, and tourism. Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, was commended by Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake for “ensuring the game we all love goes on.”
“Delighted that the eagerly awaited India and Pakistan match at the ongoing T20 Cricket World Cup in Colombo will proceed as planned,” Dissanayake said in a social media post.
India and Pakistan, bitter political adversaries, have not played bilateral cricket in almost ten years and only ever meet at regional or international tournaments held on neutral venues.
An ugly political build-up had clouded the 20-team event.
Scotland took the place of Bangladesh, who declined to play in India due to security concerns – a move that was triggered by the removal of Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squad of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The Pakistani government protested by ordering the team to skip the Group A match against co-hosts India.
If they had forfeited the match, Pakistan, who defeated the Netherlands in the tournament’s opening encounter on Saturday, would have lost two points and their chances of progressing in the tournament could have been in doubt. Later on Tuesday, they play the USA in their second group match in Colombo.
Regardless of whether the match was on or not, India captain Suryakumar Yadav stated on Friday that his side would travel to Colombo for the match.
“We haven’t said no to playing them,” Suryakumar said. “Our flights are booked and we are going to Colombo.”
