Former England captain Michael Atherton has issued a strong call to end what he describes as “neatly arranged” India-Pakistan cricket matches in ICC tournaments. He argues that these fixtures, often engineered for economic gain, have turned the sport into a mere proxy for escalating tensions and political propaganda between the two nations.
In a recent column, Atherton highlighted several contentious incidents, including the Indian team’s refusal to shake hands with Pakistani players during the recent Asia Cup. He also pointed out the controversial moment when Mohsin Naqvi, the Pakistani head of the Asian Cricket Council, reportedly walked away with the winner’s trophy after the Indian team declined to accept it from him.
Atherton noted that India and Pakistan have consistently faced each other in the group stages of every ICC event since 2013. This includes three 50-over World Cups, five T20 World Cups, and three Champions Trophies, showcasing a consistent pattern of scheduled encounters.
He further elaborated that this pattern holds true whether the initial stage of the tournament is a single round-robin format—where an India vs. Pakistan clash is almost guaranteed—or a multi-group structure, where the draws are seemingly manipulated to ensure these high-stakes matches occur.
The already strained relations between India and Pakistan have been exacerbated by recent tragic events, such as the Pahalgam terror attack where 26 Indian lives were lost due to Pakistan-backed terrorists, which led to subsequent military action by India in May.
Writing in The Times, London, Atherton underscored the immense economic value of these infrequent matches. He pointed out that this rivalry is a primary driver behind the significant broadcast rights fees for ICC tournaments, which amounted to approximately USD 3 billion for the 2023-27 cycle.
He explained that with the decreasing value of bilateral series, ICC events have become more frequent and pivotal. Consequently, the India-Pakistan encounter has become indispensable to the financial well-being of stakeholders who would otherwise have minimal investment in the sport’s bigger picture.
Atherton asserts that the moment is right to dismantle this “tacitly supported arrangement” that guarantees at least one clash between the rival nations in ICC events. He cited the recent Asia Cup, where the schedule was notoriously set up for India and Pakistan to play each other every Sunday throughout the three-week tournament.
He lament that while cricket once served as a means for diplomacy, it has now undeniably devolved into a tool for geopolitical tensions and propaganda. He argues that there is little justification for a serious sport to deliberately manipulate tournament schedules for economic gain, and with the rivalry now exploited in various other ways, this justification diminishes even further.
Atherton strongly advocated for complete transparency in the fixture draw for upcoming ICC events. He concluded that if this means the two teams don’t always meet, then “so be it.”
It’s important to note that India and Pakistan have not participated in bilateral cricket series since the devastating 2008 Mumbai terror attack. Prior to the recent Asia Cup, the Indian government formalized a policy imposing a blanket ban on bilateral sports engagements with Pakistan, even at neutral venues. However, multi-lateral events were explicitly exempted to ensure adherence to the Olympic Charter.
Atherton believes that these matches are intentionally scheduled to capitalize on the existing tensions, which in turn attract massive crowds and viewership figures—elements critical for generating significant advertising revenue.
He elaborated that this “arrangement” has received implicit backing within the sport for several reasons, primarily the political inability of the two teams to compete outside of ICC events. Cricket, once a bridge for dialogue between the nations, has now seen that communication slowly fade away.
Currently, ICC tournaments represent the sole opportunity for these matches to take place, and even then, they must be held on neutral ground. This was evident during the most recent Champions Trophy, where India controversially based itself in Dubai for a tournament officially hosted by Pakistan.