“Say that cricket has nothing to do with politics and you say that cricket has nothing to do with life,” wrote journalist and cricket commentator John Arlott. It is a statement that can be appreciated by anyone who is aware of—or has even remotely tried to understand—how the game is run in his part of the world.
Let me say at the onset that just like millions around the world, I enjoy watching the mercurial talent of Pakistan cricket, and I admire the quality of players they have produced over the years.
Sport, though, is not played in a vacuum and cricket, especially at the international level, is a game that has always carried the undertones of the social fabric between opponents.
Last year, it was the Pakistan Cricket Board that did not allow their cricketers to play in the IPL, a measure taken after the November attacks in Mumbai.
India’s tour to Pakistan was never a possibility after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. The worst nightmare of cricket unravelled in broad daylight in Lahore on March 3rd when the bus carrying Sri Lankan cricketers was ambushed on its way to the Gaddafi Stadium.
This year, at the las...
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