The two countries haven’t played in a single India Pakistan cricket tournament against each other since 2007, have finally agreed to play in a neutral country – Sri Lanka.
This is big news for fans of Indian and Pakistani cricket, since the two nations have only been competing against each other in international tournaments like the World Cup and Champions Trophy.
The issue has been a bone of contention between the two countries for a long time, with Pakistan refusing to tour India, and India refusing to play in UAE. According to a memorandum of understanding signed by the two nations in 2014, it was Pakistan’s turn to host a tournament, since India hosted the previous two tournaments, in 2007 and 2012.
Giles Clarke, a British man, is supposed to have played mediator between the two warring factions, as Sri Lanka was finally decided as the venue for the bilateral series. This comes in the wake of the infamous terror attack in 2009 when Sri Lankan players were shot at by Pakistani terrorists.
Since then, no country has toured Pakistan to play in a tournament. However, last year, Kenya toured Pakistan to play in a tournament. However, due to the lack of any major players in the tournament, the series fizzled out without much of a response. Also, while there wasn’t a major terror attack during the tournament, there was a blast outside one of the venues, further reducing the chances of any other country touring Pakistan in the near future.
Fans of both the countries are looking forward to the India Pakistan tournament with bated breath.
Let’s hope there is no untoward incident when the tournament takes place.
