Since the Pahalgam attacks, there has been intense speculation that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has written to the International Cricket Council (ICC), requesting that India and Pakistan not be clubbed in the same group in the future global events. As with many such matters, there are facts - and then there are alternative facts, report agencies.
For the record, BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla has already clarified that the Board will follow the government's advice on the matter. A top BCCI office-bearer also told the news agency that such a development is news to him. The BCCI authorities are sensitive to the prevailing national mood but as things stand, there is no truth to the speculation.
There is no immediate ICC event on the horizon, with the earliest one being the Women's ODI World Cup scheduled for September-October in India. Pakistan have qualified for it and the eight-team tournament is held in an all-play-all round-robin format, with no groupings involved.
As per the pre-tournament arrangement, Pakistan's matches will be held in a neutral venue. Being the designated host, the BCCI will need to determine that venue - but there is still time before a final decision is made. For the record, Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh besides India and Pakistan are the eight teams.
But before the ODI Women's World Cup, there is the men's Asia Cup, again, for which the BCCI is the designated host. As first reported by the online sports news portal, it has been decided that it will be held in a neutral country and September is the allotted window. Whether that continental championship will be held in Dubai or Sri Lanka is of academic interest; the more significant aspect is the tournament grouping. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has sold the media rights for the Asia Cup - valued at $170 million for four editions - based on an unofficial understanding that each edition will feature at least two India-Pakistan matches, with the possibility of a third if the teams meet in the final. The media rights deal is middle-heavy than front-or back-loaded, which means the 2025 edition would cost around $ 38 million, instead of the average value of $ 42.5 million.
In the last edition of the Asia Cup in 2023, held in a hybrid model, India and Pakistan were placed in the same group. The two teams faced off twice - once in the league stage and again in the Super Four. The second encounter was washed out, and Pakistan, incidentally, failed to reach the final. India then lifted the trophy by defeating Sri Lanka in the final.
The venue for the upcoming edition has yet to be announced, but the online sports portal understands that the draw was initially expected to take place sometime in May. However, with sufficient time remaining, it may now be deferred. The general impression is that any final decision will hinge on the escalation or de-escalation of prevailing tensions between India and Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Indian broadcasting platforms FanCode and Sony Sports India have suspended coverage of the ongoing Pakistan Super League after the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir. Following the April 22 carnage that plunged the nation into mourning, FanCode-the official digital partner-not only halted PSL streaming but also removed the league's entire section from its app and website.
Just a day after the assault in Pahalgam, where armed terrorists killed 26 Indian tourists, FanCode opted not to air the April 23 match between Multan Sultans and Islamabad United. Further, the platform went on to completely take down PSL content from their carousel.
Sony Sports, which owns India's television rights for the PSL, quickly followed suit, blacking out all scheduled broadcasts and related studio shows. As of yet, neither FanCode nor Sony Sports has issued an official statement explaining the decision or indicating when, or if, coverage might resume. While the entire country mourns the lives lost due to the heinous attack, India has already started taking steps to disconnect any ties with Pakistan. The Pahalgam attack-carried out at the popular hill-station getaway-revived painful memories of the 2008 Mumbai attacks and the 2019 Pulwama bombing. It was later confirmed that the gunmen belonged to the Resistance Front, an offshoot of the proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba, further heightening public anger.
Additionally, on April 24, BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla reiterated the board's stance on maintaining strong national sentiment, affirming that India will not participate in any bilateral cricket series with Pakistan moving forward.
In another incident, India's Olympic javelin gold medallist Neeraj Chopra said it was now "completely out of the question" that rival Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan will attend his meet in Bengaluru next month following Tuesday's deadly Islamist militant attack in Indian Kashmir. Relations between nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan have plummeted to their lowest level in years after the killing of 26 tourists on Wednesday.
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A day before the attack, Chopra had announced that the world's top throwers, including Paris Olympics champion Nadeem, had been invited to the first Neeraj Chopra Classic on May 24, an event he hoped would pave the way for a Diamond League meet in India one day. However, the attack in Kashmir prompted heavy criticism of Chopra's decision to invite Nadeem, even though it was unlikely the Pakistan thrower was going to attend.
"There has been so much talk about my decision to invite Arshad Nadeem to compete in the Neeraj Chopra Classic, and most of it has been hate and abuse," Chopra, who won gold in Tokyo and silver in Paris, said in a social media post on Friday.
"The invitation I extended to Arshad was from one athlete to another - nothing more, nothing less. The aim of the NC Classic was to bring the best athletes to India and for our country to be the home of world-class sporting events.
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