COLOMBO: Excitement was hitting fever pitch in Colombo and across South Asia on Friday after Pakistan relented and decided to play against India in the T20 World Cup, reigniting the most lucrative match in cricket.&nbsp;The hottest tickets in world cricket were hard to come by, despite Sunday evening&#39;s game in the Sri Lankan capital only being confirmed late on Monday.&nbsp;The 35,000-capacity R.Premadasa Stadium was sold out, sources told AFP, with tickets going for at least four times face value on the black market.&nbsp;Hundreds of millions more will watch the match, which has given the tournament a shot in the arm, on television in India, Pakistan and beyond.&nbsp;Emotions will run high as every ball and shot is cheered or jeered in the high-stakes showdown between the uneasy South Asian neighbors.&nbsp;Both teams have two wins out of two in Group A, meaning the winner should be assured of a place in the Super Eights round.&nbsp;The two bitter rivals only meet in global or regional tournaments these days and only on neutral territory.&nbsp;It has been more than 18 years since India and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-ready-for-strong-performance-against-india-after-t20-world-cup-decision" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pakistan</a>&nbsp;last met in a Test match, and 13 years since either side crossed the border to play a bilateral series.&nbsp;They met three times in the T20 Asian Cup in Dubai last September, with India triumphant each time, including the final.&nbsp;The TV audience for Sunday&#39;s clash has been tipped to break all records.&nbsp;Wild estimates of a billion-plus watching are often bandied about for India v Pakistan games.&nbsp;However, according to verifiable figures from the International Cricket Council, the most-watched match was the 2011 50-over World Cup final between India and Sri Lanka in Mumbai, which had 558 million unique viewers.&nbsp;India&#39;s win over Pakistan in the semi-final of that tournament is second, with 495 million.&nbsp;Boycott and backThe match will likely generate multi-millions of dollars in advertising, broadcast rights, sponsorship and tourism.&nbsp;However, the biggest and most lucrative clash in world cricket was only revived after a frantic weekend of negotiations.&nbsp;The governments of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/icc-delegation-to-meet-pcb-over-indiapakistan-t20-clash" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bangladesh</a>&nbsp;and Sri Lanka both wrote to their counterpart in Islamabad on Monday, urging it to change its stance and allow the game to go ahead. They got their wish just before midnight.&nbsp;After &quot;multilateral discussions, as well as the request of friendly countries, the Government of Pakistan hereby directs the Pakistan National Cricket Team to take the field on February 15&quot;, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-agrees-to-play-india-in-icc-t20-world-cup-match-following-requests" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pakistan government</a>&nbsp;said.&nbsp;The decision had been taken with the aim of &quot;protecting the spirit of cricket&quot;, it said.&nbsp;The 20-team tournament had been overshadowed by an acrimonious political build-up.&nbsp;Bangladesh, who refused to play in India after citing security concerns, were replaced by Scotland.&nbsp;As a protest, the Pakistan government ordered the team on the eve of the tournament not to face India, which is co-hosting the tournament with Sri Lanka, before relenting eight days later.

Cricket

Pakistan reversed its boycott to face India in Colombo’s sold-out T20 World Cup clash, reviving cricket’s biggest rivalry. The high-stakes match, expected to draw record global TV audiences and huge revenues, follows intense diplomatic negotiations to protect the tournament.

India-Pakistan: Hottest ticket in cricket sparks T20 World Cup fever

Syed Ahmed Raza

ISLAMABAD: An arbitration may take place in case the Indian cricket team formally asks for the Asia Cup Trophy after refusing to accept it on Sunday night at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The team had decided not to accept the trophy from&nbsp;Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan&rsquo;s cricket board chief and the country&#39;s interior minister. The two South Asian neighbors fought a brief but intense war in May after India attacked Pakistan, accusing it of orchestrating a terror attack on its territory. Their cricket teams met three times amid visible tensions among players and spectators. &ldquo;I have been informed by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) that the Indian cricket team will not be collecting their awards tonight,&rdquo; broadcaster Simon Doull caught many by surprise when he first broke the news during a live coverage of the Pakistan-India match.&nbsp;&nbsp;Indian team&rsquo;s stand and BCCI&rsquo;s protestIndian Team captain Suryakumar Yadav said the decision not to accept the trophy was made collectively on the field and was not directed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) or political authorities. Naqvi had walked away with the trophy after waiting for an hour to deliver it to the Indian team, which defeated Pakistan in the final match.&nbsp;&ldquo;This is something I&rsquo;ve never seen in cricket&mdash;a champion team being denied a trophy,&rdquo; Yadav told reporters. &ldquo;But our real trophies are the 14 players and the support staff who got us here. That&rsquo;s what we&rsquo;ll take home tonight,&rdquo; he added.&nbsp;Secretary Devajit Saikia congratulated the team and assured them&nbsp;that the board would lodge a formal complaint to get the trophy.&nbsp;&ldquo;There is an ICC conference scheduled in Dubai this November, and we will launch a very serious and strong protest against the actions of the ACC Chairman,&rdquo; Saikia said.&nbsp;&ldquo;We cannot accept a trophy from someone who represents a nation currently at odds with ours. But that does not mean the gentleman is entitled to walk away with the trophy and medals meant for our team. That is completely unacceptable.&rdquo;&nbsp;Naqvi&rsquo;s befitting response to ModiSoon after India defeated Pakistan, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi likened the cricket victory to the military operation against Pakistan. &quot;Operation Sindoor on the games field. Outcome is the same &ndash; India wins! Congrats to our cricketers,&rdquo; Modi posted on X, formerly Twitter.&nbsp;Mohsin Naqvi responded sharply, saying, &ldquo;If war is your measure of pride, history already records your humiliating defeats at Pakistan&rsquo;s hands. No cricket match can rewrite that truth. Dragging war into sport only exposes desperation and disgraces the very spirit of the game.&rdquo;&nbsp;What do the rules say?A senior official familiar with ICC procedures noted, &ldquo;This is unprecedented in cricket. Unless the ACC clarifies its position, the matter could escalate further at the ICC level.&rdquo;&nbsp;With no formal statement yet from the ACC or ICC, the fate of the 2025 Asia Cup trophy remains uncertain. Whether it will eventually be handed to India or withheld pending diplomatic and administrative resolution remains to be seen.&nbsp;For now, cricket&rsquo;s biggest regional prize sits unclaimed, a symbol of deeper tensions between the two countries both on and off the field.

Team India's refusal to collect the Asia Cup trophy from Pakistan’s Mohsin Naqvi leaves its fate unclear, with the ACC yet to confirm its next steps.

What happens to the Asia Cup trophy now?

Reuters

DUBAI: Pakistan captain Salman Agha said his team were ready to face India in the next round of the Asia Cup on Sunday after last week&#39;s group-stage match between the arch-rivals ended in acrimony when the Indian side refused to shake hands.&nbsp;Pakistan beat the United Arab Emirates in their final Group A game on Wednesday to advance to the Super Fours stage, where they will also play two teams from Group B in a round robin format.&nbsp;Bilateral cricket between India and Pakistan has been suspended since 2013, and they play each other only in multi-team tournaments.&nbsp;&quot;We are ready, we are ready for any challenge,&quot; Salman said after their 41-run victory against the UAE.&nbsp;&quot;We just want to play good cricket. If we play good cricket, like we have played in the last few months, I think we&#39;ll be good against any side.&quot;&nbsp;Fakhar Zaman made 50, but Pakistan&#39;s frontline batters disappointed against the UAE&#39;s modest attack with opener Saim Ayub falling for his third successive duck in the tournament.&nbsp;Salman acknowledged they had to bat better.&nbsp;&quot;We got the job done, but we still need to improve our batting in the middle order,&quot; Salman said.&nbsp;&quot;That&#39;s been a concern and something we need to work on.&quot;&nbsp;India had cruised to a seven-wicket victory over Pakistan last weekend in the first cricket match between the sides since a four-day military conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours in May.&nbsp;While the match itself passed without incident, there was no shaking of hands between the captains at the toss or among the players at the end.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Pakistan Cricket Board called for match referee Andy Pycroft&#39;s immediate removal for a code of conduct &quot;violation&quot; and considered withdrawing from the tournament before going ahead with Wednesday&#39;s match.&nbsp;India and Pakistan could meet for a third time at the tournament if they both reach the September 28 final.

The two arch-rivals are set to meet again on Sunday, Sept. 21, in the Super Four round.

Articles tagged with "Pakistan India match"

India-Pakistan: Hottest ticket in cricket sparks T20 World Cup fever

What happens to the Asia Cup trophy now?

Pakistan gearing up for India rematch in Asia Cup: Agha