ICC Walks The Extra Mile To Get Pakistan Play India In Sunday’s World Cup Match

After all — with suspense hanging over the India-Pakistan clash in the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup in Colombo this Sunday — sense seems to have prevailed over the Pakistan Cricket Board and also the country’s government to withdraw from their earlier stated position to not to take the field against its arch rivals. Siding with Bangladesh — because it did not want to travel to India citing security reasons and thereafter replaced by Scotland in the tournament — Pakistan took a position it would not have taken two years ago, but the ICC made sure that the Indian team turning up at the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo would play the scheduled match. It’s a matter of conjecture as to how Singaporean Imran Khwaja, deputy chairman of the ICC, managed to cause a turnaround in Pakistan’s decision at the meeting at Lahore. Khwaja was deputed by independent Chair Jay Shah to get Pakistan play the match at the neutral venue. Bangladesh – advised by Dhaka not to travel to India – has turned out to be the biggest loser on the World Cup participation issue. Its players have missed a World Cup tournament and thereby their share of the prize money for winning a match. The ICC dealt with the situation smartly as advised by its legal cell and Shah deserves credit for taking the initiative to depute Khwaja who not long ago got along well with former ICC Chair in Shashank Manohar and was probably a contender to helm the ICC. The outcome at the Lahore meeting has paved the way for a 17th clash between India and Pakistan in the Twenty20 format. India has won 13 and Pakistan, three times. It could be a full house at the Premadasa on Sunday.