NASSAU, NEW YORK – JUNE 9: Rival fans arrive at Eisenhower Park ahead of the India – Pakistan T20 … [+]
Due to intense political warring between nuclear-armed neighbors, it is a travesty that India won’t be playing against rival Pakistan in Pakistan at the Champions Trophy – this year’s showpiece event in men’s cricket.
When it was announced in 2021 that Pakistan would host the revived Champions Trophy – last played in 2017 and resurrected because the International Cricket Council want a money-spinning major event every year – there were eyebrows raised.
Close observers knew that India would never play in Pakistan due to politics. Many had even told me back then it was unlikely Pakistan would host the tournament. After years of not preparing for the inevitable, chaos ensued just months ahead of the tournament with India as expected refusing to travel to Pakistan.
After much bickering, delaying the fixturing, a resolution was brokered and UAE stepped in as expected to host the India matches and possibly the knockout stages amid a logistical nightmare that only cricket drowns in.
It’s a bitter shame for Pakistan, an iconic cricket nation boasting perennially the most entertaining team in the sport and backed by an incredibly passionate fanbase.
Pakistan had not hosted an ICC event since the 1996 World Cup and their national team were vagabonds for most of the 2010s due to security threats at home. But they’ve successfully returned home as the situation improved, but apparently it’s not enough for India’s government to ease its rigid stance.
India have not toured Pakistan since 2008 – before the Mumbai terrorist attacks that completely damaged relations between the countries in ramifications spilling into sport with cricket used a political football.
India and Pakistan will meet in Dubai at the Champions Trophy (Photo by Alex Davidson-ICC/ICC via … [+]
Bilateral series have been scrapped between the countries for over a decade with rare matches between them only played in marquee events on neutral terrain. That was until Pakistan did travel to India for the 2023 World Cup and the match between them in Ahmedabad had the spectre of overt nationalism with right-winged India president Narendra Modi flexing his political muscle in the terraces.
Despite the obvious politicking, the match was an incredible spectacle and scenes that could have replicated on Pakistan’s turf. But those hopes have been scuppered and India and Pakistan will renew their rivalry – the most passionate and intense in all of sports – on February 23 in the more sterile surroundings of the Dubai International Stadium.
Not far from ICC headquarters, Dubai’s main cricket ground has continually stepped up as neutral terrain but matches there have been blighted by empty seats amid sapping heat, creating a soulless feel.
Crowds have often been modest in Dubai (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
But befitting the thirst for matches between these countries, tickets were sold out within minutes. The cheapest tickets were priced at $136, while the most expensive cost more than $1300.
It’s on the back of their last meeting in New York at June’s T20 World Cup where hospitality tickets resold at an astronomical price of $2500-$10,000.
However, tickets are still available for India’s opener against Bangladesh on February 20. General admission tickets at $68 remain and so too hospitality tickets at around $550.
