Pakistani and Indian gamers shake arms after the ICC males’s Twenty20 World Cup 2022 cricket match at Melbourne Cricket Floor in Melbourne on October 23, 2022. — AFP
The Indian cricket staff won’t be stopped from enjoying the Asia Cup subsequent month as it’s a multi-lateral engagement, India’s Sports activities Ministry mentioned on Thursday, however dominated out the continuation of any bilateral encounter.
A senior ministry official mentioned that the coverage, which restricts Indian athletes from visiting Pakistan and in addition prevents athletes from the neighbouring nation from coming to India for bilateral occasions, has come into pressure with quick impact.
When requested about Indian groups travelling to Pakistan for multi-lateral tournaments, the official mentioned such instances can be reviewed earlier than any determination is taken.
For greater than 10 years, India’s authorities has prohibited the nationwide cricket staff from travelling to Pakistan for bilateral occasions as a result of political tensions between the neighbours.
Arch-rivals India and Pakistan will lock horns within the Asia Cup on September 14, set to be staged within the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The 2 sides solely meet in ICC multi-national occasions like ODI and T20 World Cups, with the final bilateral sequence held when Pakistan toured India in 2012-13.
India final toured Pakistan to characteristic within the 2008 Asia Cup and haven’t performed a bilateral sequence throughout the border for 18 years.
In the previous few years, Pakistan has hosted the world’s high groups after bettering safety, rising from cricketing isolation that started after a militant assault on the Sri Lankan staff bus in 2009 in Lahore.
Final month, India’s Sports activities Minister Mansukh Mandaviya additionally mentioned that his authorities wouldn’t hinder Pakistan’s participation within the worldwide occasions hosted by the nation regardless of their strained political relations that worsened in Might.
The eight-team event will get underway on September 9 with a curtain-raiser between Afghanistan and Hong Kong.
This version of the continental occasion will comply with the T20 format, serving as an important warm-up forward of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
Pakistan, then again, will start their marketing campaign in opposition to Oman on September 12, whereas their closing group-stage match is scheduled for September 17 in opposition to the UAE.
Relying on outcomes, the 2 sides might face one another once more within the Tremendous 4 stage and doubtlessly within the closing — which means followers might witness as much as three encounters between the arch-rivals throughout the event.
