Geopolitics Casts Shadow Over Pakistan Players in The Hundred

 

Indian-owned franchises in The Hundred are unlikely to sign players from Pakistan. Image :Debasis Sen

There was a report yesterday stating that Pakistan players are unlikely to be picked by Indian-owned franchises in The Hundred. That is perhaps the most obvious thing one could say. Given the current political climate between the two countries, there is very little chance that any franchise would want to stir up controversy. While no one will state it publicly, I would be very surprised if any franchise with Indian ownership were to sign a Pakistan player.

Let me make one thing very clear at the outset: this has nothing to do with the skill sets of the Pakistan players. Rather, it is entirely influenced by geopolitics and events that have transpired in recent weeks.

Consider this: Mohsin Naqvi and Shehbaz Sharif initially announced a selective boycott of the India game at the ongoing T20 World Cup. This was done in solidarity with Bangladesh ahead of the elections there, with a clear view to creating political instability along India’s eastern border. Pakistan was also the only country that backed Bangladesh when it claimed India was unsafe to tour.

Naqvi had tweeted “6–0” during the Asia Cup, and we all know what transpired thereafter. To think that a franchise with Indian ownership would pick a Pakistan cricketer against this backdrop is plainly naïve. It reflects the current geopolitical climate and is arguably the most prudent course of action. Inviting backlash is neither logical nor necessary, and there is no need for false bravado.

Some days ago, Mike Atherton wrote a piece describing the India–Pakistan game as a toxic spectacle that is too big to fail. Indeed, it is too big to fail. But one must also ask why. It is partly because England, Australia and every other country has failed to market their cricket effectively. England versus Australia is no longer lucrative enough for market forces, and it is plain and simple that hyper-commercialised sport requires money to survive.

For whatever reason, England has failed to commercialise cricket despite being in a strong position to do so. That is where Indian influence in The Hundred also comes into play. No English investor has managed to secure an IPL team. Gujarat Titans, too, will become fully Indian-owned sooner rather than later. The Hundred, however, has seen significant Indian investment in recent years. It is testimony to India’s growing hegemony in world cricket, whether one likes it or not.

India has marketed the game most effectively. Indian billionaires see potential in investing in global cricket and acquiring franchises around the world. In doing so, none of them will ignore the geopolitical reality back home by signing a Pakistani player. If the organisers have an issue, they should have considered this before selling stakes to Indian business houses. In an interconnected world, geographical boundaries may seem less significant, but much like the IPL, where no Pakistan player participates, it may soon be the case that no Indian-owned team in The Hundred selects them either.

This is nothing new either. None of the franchises in South Africa’s SA20 has a Pakistan player in the squad, and the same is true of MI Emirates and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders (both Indian-owned) in the ILT20. It is also disingenuous to suggest that this is a consequence of Naqvi being Pakistan’s Minister of Interior. The late Shaharyar Khan too was part of Pakistan’s political establishment – a foreign secretary – but he had many admirers in India and elsewhere because he was a gentleman with the game’s best interests at heart. Where men like him tried to build bridges, Naqvi seems obsessed with burning them down.   

For the Indian audience, both at home and in the diaspora, this is a matter of national sentiment, and it is unlikely that anyone will act against it. While players will miss out for no fault of their own, politicians such as Naqvi are squarely to blame for allowing matters to deteriorate.

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