In 1947, British left the subcontinent for good. The subcontinent was dichotomized into 2 countries (now 3) making them each an independent state. However, both of these countries never really got along. Rather they became the biggest enemy of each other. By name, we call each other neighbors but in fact, have been involved in two wars in the past 7 decades. And mind you the animosity doesn’t end there; it still exists in different shapes and sizes, especially in sports.
Talking about the latest victim of hatred, India’s cricket board recently refused to host the 2018 Asia Cup. The Asia Cup was supposed to be held in India in September this year, until… now.
The Asian Cricket Council announced today that the tournament will now take place in the UAE. So what really happened? Why are the defending champions not willing to organize the Asia Cup? The answer to this question lies behind the 70 years of abhorrence and enmity. The Indian Cricket board has shown reluctance towards having Pakistan in the tournament due to political differences. Also earlier, PCB had put forward their concerns in front of the Asian Cricket council with regards to the cup taking place in India. They were not willing to participate in the tournament because India was not allowing other athletes to play across the border. Well, this is not the first time that politics has invaded the ground of cricket. India has previously also denied the fans of both countries their right to enjoy bilateral series. BCCI did not oblige by the agreement made between both cricket boards of playing 6 bilateral series in 8 years starting from 2015. Hence, Pakistan in return, has demanded the compensation of almost $70 million for the financial damage caused.
Credits: https://www.indiatoday.in
Even though the governments of both states have been locking horns for quite a few years, the public is in favor of nothing but peace. The only place where they want their country to take lead is the cricket ground right now. Fans have expressed sheer disappointment on the discontinuity of sports battle between the two neighbors. Both the nations were excited to see the Pakistan India clash taking place in India but now they will have to settle for UAE. The tournament’s supposed to start on 13th September this year. Much as the fans are disappointed due to the shift of venue, they are still in for some competitive cricket between India and Pakistan throughout the tournament. And as Pakistan Super League has already shown for the past three years, UAE never manages disappoints.
