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CRICKET INDIA SERIES
Captain Imran Khan reached out to BCCI to provide neutral umpires in Pakistan’s home series against world champions West Indies in 1986. Such fraternising has worked at the cricket level too. Zia-ul-Haq used the cricket series as an opportunity to visit India, watched a day or two of cricket and spent more time in political wrangling which helped defuse the tension. Pakistan were touring India under Imran Khan.
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In 1987, armies of the two countries were in eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation on the western border. Ironically, neither country could make it to the final, but their collaboration helped break England’s hegemony on the tournament.Īt times ‘cricket diplomacy’ has helped tide over a looming crisis.
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The 1987 Reliance Cup was jointly hosted by India and Pakistan. The 1987 World Cup would never have come to the sub-continent had BCCI, to teach the England Board a lesson, not found an ally in the Pakistan Cricket Board.Ĭricket officials of the two countries lobbied with their respective governments for ensuring international standard infrastructure, hospitality, security and foreign exchange availability so that all objections raised by the bloc led by England in the sport would be overcome. While hostile political relations have been a constant threat to cricket relations, there have also been sunny periods when India and Pakistan cricket boards and the respective governments have collaborated towards a common cause. If anything, suspensions and bans have been far more in Congress-ruled national governments.
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In 2004, Vajpayee was prime minister of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA government when the Indian team was cleared to tour Pakistan, so it’s incorrect to believe that hardline political parties have necessarily been always against cricket relations with Pakistan. Two wars, in 19, obviously contributed massively to the 17-year-long cessation of cricket links, which was finally restored by the Janata Government with the then foreign minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee leading the ‘defrosting’ agenda. After the 1961-62 series played in India, there was no cricket between the two countries till 1977-78. But the 14-year break since, which must seem an eternity, is not the longest. The last Test series, for instance, was in 2007-8, when Pakistan toured India. Gaps between engagements can be long, depending on the nature of the most recent conflict or fresh eruption of an old one, and how the political dispensation of that particular time tackles it. How often India and Pakistan play each other-or do not-is obviously dictated by the emotional and volatile political history of the sub-continent. In contrast, the only comparable cricket contest in terms of passion and intensity, the Ashes between Australia and England, tots up more than four times as many Tests in the same period. Almost 70 years later, the total count of Tests is a meagre 59, which works out to less than one a year. His confidence and accuracy went hand-in-hand as the 30-year-old scalped two wickets and was the second-most economical bowler.The first Test series between the countries was played in 1952-53. The likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Deepak Chahar were expensive in the previous game as they leaked runs at an economy of more that 9 runs per over.īut Harshal Patel had some different plans on his international debut. While the India batters ticket almost all the boxes, the pacers found it hard to put a check on the run-flow. With an unassailable 2-0 lead, the Men in Blue will look to continue the winning spree and root for a whitewash. The hosts have been clinical so far in the series and have produced some phenomenal performances with the bat. Read more reply, Martin Guptill’s 51 off 36 balls went in vain as New Zealand could only manage 111 all out in 17.2 overs.ĪLSO READ | India vs New Zealand, 3rd T20I Preview: With Series in Pocket, India May Test Reserve players in Kolkata Dead Rubber