MUMBAI: India will host Pakistan’s cricket crew for the primary time in seven years within the 50-over Global Cup in October, the Global Cricket Council mentioned Tuesday. The event will start with holders England taking over New Zealand on October 5 on the global’s greatest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad, which can even host the overall. Essentially the most-awaited conflict between opponents India and Pakistan will likely be performed in the similar doubtlessly contentious venue on October 15, after the hosts kick off their marketing campaign towards Australia per week previous.
The agenda used to be introduced after weeks of prolong because of Pakistan’s previous refusal to commute to India, however a compromise used to be reached when Pakistan agreed to host a hybrid-model Asia Cup in September. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) mentioned their crew will require clearance from Islamabad to play. “We’re liaising with our executive for steerage,” PCB Communications Director Sami Ul Hasan mentioned. “This place is constant to what we had advised the ICC a few weeks in the past after they shared with us the draft agenda and sought our comments,” he mentioned.
Then again, Ahmedabad, the house town of India’s Hindu nationalist High Minister Narendra Modi, is of shock to Muslim-majority Pakistan, who had previous expressed reservations about enjoying on the 132,000-seat venue. Ahmedabad used to be the centre of fatal 2002 non secular riots through which a minimum of 1,000 other folks, most commonly Muslims, have been killed in sectarian violence that despatched surprise waves all over the world. In Pakistan’s earlier cricket go back and forth to India all the way through the 2016 T20 Global Cup, the tournament used to be shifted from Dharamsala to Kolkata over safety issues.
The 48-match event will likely be performed at 10 venues throughout 46 days, with the highest 4 from the 10-team round-robin degree going thru to the semi-finals, the ICC mentioned in a commentary 100 days ahead of the event starts. 8 groups have already certified during the Global Cup Tremendous League. The general two spots will likely be stuffed on the finish of the present qualifying event in Zimbabwe. “It’s going to be an ideal revel in enjoying within the Global Cup at house,” Indian skipper Rohit Sharma mentioned. “India gained right here 12 years in the past, and I do know enthusiasts national can’t watch for us to take the sphere this time.”
Turbulent historical past
India and Pakistan are sour adversaries and most effective play cricket towards every different in global tournaments, normally at impartial venues, because of longstanding political tensions, maximum just lately all the way through the T20 Global Cup in Australia remaining 12 months. Any tournament between the South Asian neighbors due to this fact turns into one of the crucial most-watched occasions at the international carrying calendar and any victory is used to advertise nationalism at house.
After they do play, cricket enthusiasts all over the world are glued to their TV monitors in a multi-billion-dollar bonanza for broadcasters. The 2019 50-over Global Cup conflict between India and Pakistan drew 273 million audience. India and Pakistan have no longer met on all sides’s soil in a bilateral sequence since 2012. They have got additionally no longer performed a Take a look at towards every different since 2007, as an alternative assembly most effective within the shorter variations of the sport. India and Pakistan percentage deep cultural and linguistic hyperlinks however their historical past has been mired in violence and bloodshed.
The 2 nuclear-armed international locations have fought 3 wars for the reason that subcontinent’s partition in 1947. India remaining gained the ODI Global Cup on house soil in 2011. Since then, Australia and England have gained the identify in their very own backyards in 2015 and 2019 respectively. India will face England on October 29 in Lucknow, whilst the English will tackle Australia on November 4 at Ahmedabad in two different key fixtures. The primary semi-final will likely be on November 15 in Mumbai and the second one in Kolkata tomorrow. There will likely be reserve days for the semis and the overall, and all 3 will likely be day-night fits.— AFP