With Pakistans recently concluded tour of India we take a look at how significant the cricketing ties between the two nations are. Cricket is the one thing that can bring both these countries together, therefore, the efficient use of such a powerful tool is essential.

By Talha Syed (13th January, 2013)

With Pakistan's historic tour of India done and dusted there is no denying the significant role which cricket plays in South Asia. By studying the bi-lateral commitments between Pakistan and India you can get a pretty good idea of what the political situation is like between the two countries. Other sports might be able to get away uninterrupted; however, the cricketing ties between the two nations mirror their political relationship. The question arises then – with a tool so powerful; how should it be used?

Not so long ago – around 2007 - I remember a number of people on both sides of the border complaining about there being an overkill of Indo – Pak encounters; and to be honest who can blame them? From 2004 to 2007 there were a grand total of 41 games between the two South Asian giants, an average of 10 matches every year! According to the ICC’s FTP, on average each country is meant to tour another once every four years; so you can see how people were seeing this as ‘overkill’.

However, there was an upside to all of this. The fact that the encounters were so frequent – almost too frequent – was a clear indication that the political situation between the two countries had improved significantly and was getting better by the day. Not only were the games much more frequent than before; they were also friendlier.

In a recent talk show, Kapil Dev mentioned that playing in Pakistan during his time felt like playing cricket in a war zone. Meanwhile Saurav Ganguly – who toured Pakistan in the 2004 – 2007 era talked about how, on his tour to Pakistan, a local boutique store owner wouldn’t accept money from him when he went to buy shoes and insisted that the Indian captain accepted the shoes as a gift. Everything was looking up, however, unfortunately trouble was not far away.

On the 26th of November 2008 a horrific terrorist attack took place in Mumbai as once again the political situation between the two countries heated up and once again all bi-lateral cricketing ties were terminated. From 2009 till the 24th of December 2012 only 5 cricket matches were played between Pakistan and India. What a sharp contrast this was to the four years leading up to the incident.

Only one of these five matches had been played within either one of the countries, and that was the semi-final of the 2011 World Cup. This match in itself was a spectacle. Everything had not been forgotten since Shiv Sena – an Indian political party – had declared that if Pakistan did qualify it would be them who would decide if the team would be allowed to play the final in Mumbai. However, the majority of people were not willing to think that far ahead since they had finally got what they so badly wanted – a Pakistan vs India match at home.

Headlines were splashed across newspapers, websites, TV channels and any other form of media imaginable along the lines of “India vs Pakistan: The day 1 billion people call in sick”; as an estimated one fifth of the world’s population came to a standstill to watch the match (CNN). Once again people around the globe were reminded why Pakistan vs India on the cricket field is the greatest rivalry in sports Once again, people were reminded how much power and pull Pakistan vs India cricket matches have. Once again, people were reminded of the significance of these encounters and how they are way more than just a cricket match.

The Pakistani team walked out to the middle of the field in Mohali as the Pakistani national anthem blared through the stadium. There is no doubt the home crowd was backing their team on that day – as you would expect – but there is also no doubting the fans acknowledged how big an occasion they were witnessing and the significance of Pakistan playing on Indian soil. From that day on it was visible that the return of bi-lateral ties between the two countries was not too far away.

Just over a year or so later it was announced that the Pakistani team would tour India to play an extremely short symbolic T20 and ODI series in the gap provided over Christmas and New Year. The population of both countries had shown that the best way to unite the two is through cricket. It is the one thing which brings both nations together and bridges all gaps. Before the Pakistani team left for India there were many concerns about the safety of the players and if the timing of the tour was correct.

All those concerns were put aside as the Pakistani team boarded the plane in Lahore on the 22nd of December 2012 and headed across the border. As the 1st T20 was all set to go ahead on Christmas Day, it was visible that the fans no longer felt that these matches were overkill. The stadiums got jam packed way before the toss, by those very same fans that over the years had cried of “overkill” and said that “India vs Pakistan has lost its sparkle”. Phenomenal security precautions were put in place for all the sold out matches on the tour across India and the cricket thankfully went ahead without a glitch.

We witnessed some phenomenal cricket over the short period of two weeks– Junaid Khan's spectacular spells of opening bowling, Yuvraj's three sixes off three balls against Ajmal, Nasir Jamshed's back to back centuries, Dhoni's heroic hundred in an extremely challenging situation, Mohammad Hafeez’s admirable knock in the 2nd T20 and many many more. Fans were reminded of the magical moments, experience and sensations which only India vs Pakistan matches can provide.

It might have been an extremely short, and in some ways ‘meaningless’ tour, however, it achieved its purpose - it left fans asking for more. It left fans asking questions such as “why could there not have been a third T20 as a decider?” or more importantly “when will we get to see an Indo – Pak test series?” It reminded fans of what India vs Pakistan is all about and how much can be achieved through these tours and why it is one of, if not THE greatest sporting rivalry.

Imran Khan stated that the hardest thing to cope with during an Indo – Pak encounter is the pressure. He went on to say - the night before an India vs Pakistan match, friends and long lost relatives feel the need to ring up the players just to tell them “Kal Nahi Harna” (Don’t lose tomorrow). Former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin described the pressure of an India – Pakistan encounter as “killing”, and went on to explain how he felt so drained after their game in the 1996 World Cup that he could not even walk. Left arm bowling legend Wasim Akram stated “you might forget being hit for runs – but you never ever forget the wickets you take against India”. It is obvious that the passion and significance of these encounters is unmatched by any other – not only by fans but also the players.

Now I would like to take a moment to address the authorities in charge of arranging these games directly. First of all; I would like to congratulate you on a fantastic job to arrange the recently concluded Indo – Pak series and assuring all the games took place in a safe and secure environment. However, it is now more important to look forward and see how you build on this.

Personally, having visited both countries and having seen first-hand what a difference these cricket matches make to relationships between the two nations, I insist and hope all the authorities in charge use this extremely powerful tool you have at your disposal wisely. It is the one thing that brings people from both sides of the border together, sit side by side, shoulder to shoulder and share a mutual enjoyment.

“When the going gets tough; the tough get going”. When times get hard between Pakistan and India, rather than cutting off bi-lateral cricketing ties - use them. Use them to improve the relationship between the two countries.

I understand the security concerns associated with this, however, a large amount of this concern can be eliminated if the option of playing at neutral venues is explored. There is not a single cricketing (and a few non-cricketing) country in the world where Pakistan vs India cricket matches won’t sell out. The Indo-Pak encounter, in this year’s Champions Trophy in England, was the first game to sell out as all tickets were gone within 24 hours – even before the England vs Australia tickets!

You can arrange games anywhere in the world and billions of people in South Asia will sit up and take notice. More importantly you will send out a loud and clear message to the 5% of Indo – Pak population who are against peace between the two countries that they cannot prevent peace in South Asia! You have done a fantastic job by restarting cricketing ties between Pakistan and India – now grab the baton and run with it.

Discuss!