Pak-India cricket deadlock: 2008-2012 [Part 1]
Right up there among the most intense rivalries in the sport of cricket, a match between Pakistan and India is nothing short of a battle of the most epic proportions. Heavily dictated by the political and diplomatic relations between the two arch-rival countries,
and the contentious and conflict-ridden history they share, any on-field encounter between the two teams never fails to whip fans and spectators into a frenzy, and attracts up to a whopping three hundred million television viewers, as per
Initiative (a TV ratings firm). Pakistan’s upcoming limited-overs tour of India, due to commence on December 25, 2012, marks the resumption of bilateral sporting ties between the two countries after a prolonged period of drought which lasted roughly
5 years. The tour is attracting much of the same sentiment as before – perhaps even more than usual – and the hype building around the event is immense.
The reasons behind the extreme reactions to a Pakistan-India match can perhaps be traced back to the history the two countries share. Both nations embraced the sport during Britain’s colonisation of the sub-continent, and after the violent and bloody events
leading to the 1947 Partition, and the subsequent independence of Pakistan, the seeds for a cricketing rivalry of gargantuan proportions were sown. The saying “it’s just a game” doesn’t apply here: Pakistan-India matches are nothing short of war (no matter
what the sportsmen mihttp://www.senore.com/Cricket/David-John-Goodchild-c52940ht say), and their sporting ties are always determined by politics – in bad times, cricket is used as a tool to freeze relations (e.g. during times of war), and in good times, it’s a tool of diplomacy, with the heads of state exchanging
visits during particularly monumental matches (the first instance of this occurred when Pakistani president http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zia-ul-Haq-c98603 was invited to Jaipur in 1987, for an India-Pakistan Test match).
Post-Partition, it took a long time for both sides to settle down and recover from the event that had torn them asunder. However, it remained impossible for two nations that share such a unique history and common heritage to remain apart for long, and diplomatic
relations were struck up. Cricket teams from both countries met in 1952 for their first series against each other, comprising five Tests, played in October/November that year in India – the hosts won the first Test at the Feroz Shah Kotla, but Pakistan managed
to equalise with a victory in the second match, and India’s defeat incited the wrath of the home crowd (precursors of the maddened fans that fill the stadiums for Pak-India matches today). However, the hosts managed to bounce back, and won the third Test.
The last two ended in draws, and the home team went on to win 2-1. Thus began the Pakistan-India cricket rivalry.
Overtime, to the enjoyment of fans, both teams have squared off on each others’ home grounds, as well as neutral venues such as Sharjah and Toronto (for the delight of expatriate fans), and Pakistan-India encounters in major tournaments such as the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 World
Cup have always been sold-out events. As of October 1, 2012, Pakistan and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 won 12, India won 9), 121 One Day Internationals (Pakistan – 69, India – 48), and 3 Twenty20 Internationals (India
– 2, Pakistan – 0).
All this while, the cricketing ties have continued to be determined largely by politics, and events such as the wars in 1965 and 1971, as well as the 1999 Kargil War, have led to breaks in the sporting relations between the two. The longest break in recent
times commenced in 2008 and is due to come to an end with the series that kicks off today. However, the process of bringing the deadlock to an end was a prolonged one, and took several twists and turns before the ice-breaking series was finally announced.
Continued in Part 2 ...
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