Name: Pakistan to play at T20 World Cup - but refuse to face India - Stumped, BBC World Service
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From the BBC World Service in association with ABC and Akash Vani, this is Stumps.

With me from the ABC is Brett Sprig in Sydney and Chario Sharma for Akash Barney is in New Delhi.

Well, it's been a tumultuous build up to the ICC Men's T20 World cup which has already seen Bangladesh withdraw and be replaced by Scotland.

The action gets underway on February 7th and as we record this on Thursday morning in the uk, position is that Pakistan will take part in the tournament but they won't play their group stage match against the co hosts India.

In a statement the Pakistan government said that it grants approval for the team to play at the World cup but that the team shall not take the field against India on February 15.

Pakistan had been considering boycotting the whole competition after Bangladesh withdrew citing safety fears over travelling to India after the BCCI removed Mustafar Rahman from the ipl.

Well, I've caught up with Pakistan journalist Shahid Hashmi who ran through more of the background on the Pakistan government's decision not to play against India.

I think in the last one one and a half year the tension between the two countries, the military conflict in May last year has gone to a point where both the countries are at a flashpoint of a war and Pakistan thought that enough is enough.

You are not playing bilateral series with us.

You have a discriminatory behavior, discriminatory decision against one member Bangladesh and then you have your own say in the, in the International Cricket Council.

You ship, you really relocated your matches in the Champions Trophy.

They forced the ICC and the BCCI to sign an agreement on a fusion formula which said that both countries will not travel to each other's country in case one of them is hosting an ICC tournament.

So I think government thought that enough is enough.

Now we will not even play in a multinational tournament.

Sad for millions of fans in the world, especially for me whose, whose father and mother come from India.

So sad day when Pakistan boycotted but it was quite imminent and I think Pakistan had reached an image the ICC in their statement.

Shahid have effectively asked the PCB or the government I suppose in this case to reconsider, certainly asking the PCB to consider what they say are the significant and long term implications for cricket in its own country.

Do you see any chance of the Pakistan stance changing between now and the 15th of February?

I have heard that they have started a backdoor diplomacy.

But since it's a government's decision not to cricket board's decision, it will take a lot of convincing to change the sustan or to rescind the decision.

It may come because it's the match of international cricket.

Pakistan has improved relation with Bangladesh since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina Madid as Prime Minister.

Pakistan feel that Bangladesh case was valid.

They wanted to relocate their matches because the tension between these two countries is also on a high.

So maybe Pakistan reconsidered this decision.

It would be a good one if they if they reconsider because we are hearing that there will be rain in the first match when Pakistan face Netherlands.

So if they lose one point, in case they lose any of the two matches before the India game, then Pakistan will have a huge risk to replicate the 2024 T20 World cup decision or the outcome when Pakistan went out in the first round.

What are the risks to the global cricket ecosystem if this match between Pakistan and India doesn't go ahead?

Because as we always say, this is the match of international cricket.

That's why they keep India and Pakistan in the same group and be reading.

There's a lot of huge financial implications.

Z figure will not know until and unless the broadcaster or the ICC come out and say that this is the figure which will cost us if India and Pakistan do not play in an international event like the World Cup.

So it's huge and implications on Pakistan will be huge.

All these things will be reductive after this if this happens.

So icc, BCCI and Pakistan Cricket Board should talk to each other, come on the table because we have not heard anything on ICC board meeting which should or which should be called so that they try to convince Pakistan to change their stance.

We have approached the BCCI for interview as well as the PCB and ICC at this stage and nobody is forthcoming to to speak on the record.

Shahid, what is the temperature of the cricketing public as to whether they want the match between India and Pakistan to go ahead?

They want Pakistan and India to play even in bilateral events because he had not been playing bilateral series since 2012.

They actually wanted Pakistan to beat India because they came close to beating India in the Asia cup final.

India has a huge record against Pakistan.

8 nil in ODI World Cup, 71 in 20 World Cup.

India and India at this point of time are the huge favorites of winning the T20 World Cup.

But the saddest part is that India is huge.

The passion of cricket in India is unmatched in the world.

Shahid does in terms of the bigger picture, Bangladesh have pulled out.

Pakistan currently refusing to play India even on neutral territory.

Now is geopolitics putting the credibility of World cup events at risk?

It is at a huge risk because all these member countries should come forward, unite the icc.

If it happens now, then cricket will I think suffer hugely and financially as well as fan wise.

This World cup will be a disaster if India and Pakistan do not play each other.

Well that's Pakistan cricket journalist Shahid Hashmi speaking to me about that decision of Pakistan to play in the World cup but not to play against India.

Since speaking to Shahid, the Pakistan Prime Minister has doubled down on that decision.

In a televised address he said that they have taken this stand after careful deliberation.

He says we must stand with Bangladesh now.

Charu, it felt seismic when that social media post from the Pakistan government dropped.

How's the story being perceived where you are?

Well, there's several facets to it, Alison.

The first that I can think of is there's a lot of humorous comment about the fact that, well, Pakistan, and

of course Shahid alluded to it, doesn't have too good a record against India anyway.

So whether they play India or not, they're not likely to get those two points.

So by not playing India, it's not like they're in line to be losing two points they would have otherwise gathered.

There's also a fair amount of comment about the why of it because if you know, to use an example, if England and I don't know Australia have a problem, why would the West Indies say, well, you know, England are not playing so we're not playing.

It's a question of let Bangladesh decide what's going on.

If they don't want to play, let them not play.

But why would Pakistan want to get involved with something that Bangladesh and India are going through?

So there's a little bit of consternation, but

in the main it's been also a lot of reference to the monies involved and how much the PCB is likely to lose.

Out and what are the future repercussions and so on and so forth is taking a lot of media time as well.

But I don't think the Indian population is particularly worried about the fact that the match is likely to not be held.

I was glad that Shahid mentioned that in Pakistan there's, you know, disappointment that the match will not go ahead because they're all looking forward to it.

But I think India for the moment, especially in World cup matches has gotten to a point where they almost are taking a victory over Pakistan for granted.

And which is why it's not the match so much, but

just everything around it and why Pakistan is taking up cudges on behalf of a third nation which has been occupying the news in terms of the countries around this fixture.

I talked to shy there a bit about, about that global cricketing ecosystem.

I mean it's a match that draws millions in terms of viewership, even if that cricket itself has been one sided chair, as you say, for some time now.

Reports suggesting that more than 600 million watched last year's Champions Trophy match on India's streaming service alone.

The rights deal the ICC has with the India broadcaster is 3 billion USD.

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Pakistan to play at T20 World Cup - but refuse to face India - Stumped, BBC World Service

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