Following Pakistan’s U-turn and decision to play India in the T20 World Cup, which reignited cricket’s most lucrative match, excitement has been in full swing in Colombo and throughout South Asia.
Even though the match in the capital of Sri Lanka on Sunday night was only announced late on Monday, the most sought-after tickets in world cricket were hard to come by. According to sources who spoke to AFP, the 35,000-seat R. Premadasa Stadium was completely sold out, with tickets on the black market fetching at least four times face value.
The match has given the competition a boost, and hundreds of millions more will watch it on television in India, Pakistan and other countries. As every ball and stroke is applauded or mocked in the high-stakes match between the archrivals, emotions will be running high.
Since both teams have won both of their last two games in Group A, the winner would be guaranteed a spot in the Super Eights round. Nowadays, the two fierce rivals face off only in international or regional competitions and on neutral venues.
India and Pakistan haven’t played a Test match in almost 18 years, and neither team has crossed the border to play a bilateral series in 13 years. India won all three of their matches, including the final, at the T20 Asia Cup in Dubai last September.
It has been predicted that the TV viewership for Sunday’s match will surpass all previous records. For India vs Pakistan matches, outrageous claims of a billion or more viewers are frequently made.
The game is expected to bring in millions of dollars in sponsorship, broadcast rights, advertising, and tourism. But only after a hectic weekend of discussions was the world’s most lucrative and significant cricket match brought back to life.
On Monday, the governments of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka wrote to its counterpart in Islamabad, requesting for it to reconsider and permit the game to proceed. Just before midnight, the decision came.
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 Pakistan government said.
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. On the eve of the event, the Pakistani government protested by ordering the team not to play India, which is co-hosting the competition with Sri Lanka. However, eight days later, the government changed its mind.
