India-Pakistan T20 World Cup Clash Labeled as 'Toxic, Politicised' Spectacle by Ex-England Captain

India vs Pakistan: There has already been much-drama around the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup game that is set to start in a few hours time. The game will be played in Colombo after the two countries reached an agreement with the International Cricket Council that they will not travel to each others countries in case of an ICC event. The hype around the clash was created by the Pakistan government after they stated that they will boycott the India game. The decision sent shock waves in the cricketing circuit. 

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‘Too big to fail’

Eventually after a lot of to and fro talks between ICC and Pakistan Cricket Board, the Pakistan government made an U-turn in a week's time. 

Now, hours before the match, former England captain Michael Atherton has given his two cents over the rivalry. Atherton reckoned that fixture is too big to fail. 

“All eyes on Colombo on Sunday, then. Money in modern cricket does not so much talk as scream, so it was always likely that a way would be found for the India v Pakistan game to take place. This is the fixture that has become too big to fail — the contest that allows for the functioning of the international cricket system as it stands — even though it has become an unattractive game in its present guise, as a proxy for political point-scoring,” he wrote.

“When Pakistan pulled out of the fixture a fortnight ago on government advice, sending a financial shiver down the spine of the cricketing fraternity, it highlighted two things: first, how politicised the game has become in the region and, second, how fragile the cricket economy is — disproportionately reliant on a single match that can be played only at global events on neutral soil between two countries whose relationship is toxic,” Atherton added.

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India Slight Edge? 

India have the wood over Pakistan in recent times in this format, but again it is a new game and a new day anjd hence not much can be looked into what has happened in the past. It is about staying in the present.