India And Pakistan Tension Continues To Simmer, But Lucrative Asia Cup Will Go Ahead

The money-spinning Asia Cup will go ahead after fears of a cancellation (Photo by Surjeet ... More Yadav/Getty Images) Getty Images

It was an inevitable announcement despite months of tension and posturing from bitter foes India and Pakistan that seemingly threatened the highly lucrative biennial Asia Cup.

Asian Cricket Council chair Mohsin Naqvi, who also doubles as the Pakistan Cricket Board chair and the country’s interior minister, announced on Saturday that the Asia Cup will go ahead from September 9-28.

As I reported last month, the eight-team tournament - featuring five Full Members and three Associates - will be played in the United Arab Emirates after India were the designated hosts.

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Sri Lanka had also been under consideration, it is learned, but the reliable option of the UAE - the headquarters of the International Cricket Council - won out.

In a deal struck ahead of the Champions Trophy earlier this year, India and Pakistan games are played at neutral venues under a three-year arrangement.

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There have been major question marks over the Asia Cup since a gun massacre of tourists in April in Kashmir pushed nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan to the brink of war. A ceasefire was later announced, but tensions have remained high.

The further straining of political ties has a major impact on cricket, clearly the most popular sport in both countries.

India and Pakistan rarely play each other in cricket (Photo by Alex Davidson-ICC/ICC via Getty ... More Images) ICC via Getty Images

But once India’s governing body, the BCCI, received permission from the Indian government to play Pakistan then the Asia Cup was always going ahead despite the bluster.

There was too much at stake financially. And, of course, India and Pakistan have been drawn together in the same group at the Asia Cup - like they do at every tournament - and may play each other three times if they both reach the final.

The Asia Cup, more specifically the India-Pakistan games, essentially bankrolls regional body ACC, its pathways and smaller Asian nations reliant on funding. Established in 1983, the ACC’s goal is to develop and promote cricket in Asia while fostering better relations with member nations.

The Asia Cup is its money-spinning crown jewel and played every two years in September - alternating between the 20 and 50-over formats.

India are the defending Asia Cup champions (Photo by Surjeet Yadav/Getty Images) Getty Images

“The entire monetization of the broadcast is based on this one match between India and Pakistan,” former ACC head of commercial and events Prabhakaran Thanraj told me in 2022.

“The men’s Asia Cup is where almost all the funds come from for the ACC. Monetization will help put funds back into cricket.”

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The tense relationship between India and Pakistan createst such a divide in cricket, a sport so reliant on India’s heft both on-and-off the field.

They have not played each other in bilateral cricket for more than a decade leading to compromises - like them having never played one another in the World Test Championship leading to integrity issues of the tournament - that are just shrugged off as nothing can seemingly be done.

The tensions are evident and there are some fears of a sidelining for Pakistan. India have taken a stranglehold of the ICC after the recent appointment of Sanjog Gupta as chief executive, hot on the heels of Indian compatriot Jay Shah’s ascension as chair.

Shah was previously at the helm of India’s governing body and he is the son of India home affairs minister Amit Shah. With cricket and politics so intertwined, it’s little wonder relations between the foes was a topic whispered on the sidelines of the recent ICC annual conference in Singapore.

“There are some people with strong nationalistic views in positions of power who drive policy,” a senior cricket administrator told me. "Tensions aren’t going down and the other Asian (Full Member) countries also get sucked in and it becomes a game of politics.

“There are many tentacles to this and an issue that won’t end.”

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