|
Former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi, in his straightforward take on the dynamics and future possibility of India vs Pakistan bilateral matches, has said that political influence within the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is the core problem for the frozen state of cricket between both countries.
Speaking on The Overlap Podcast with former England cricketer Michael Vaughan, Modi said that meaningful progress on India-Pakistan matches is unlikely because the Pakistan Cricket Board is heavily politicised. According to him, ongoing political tensions between the two countries will persist, and things will likely worsen, blocking any forward movement in the matter. "The problem is if the Pakistan Cricket Board was independent and ran independently, wasn't politically influenced, we would have some traction. But today, the Pakistan Cricket Board is so politicised by the powers that be, and are pulling the levers and making it political. We have tension at that level--political level, and that is not going away. It's only going to get worse," Modi said on the podcast. The last time arch-rivals India and Pakistan met in a bilateral series was during Pakistan's tour of India in 2012-13, which consisted of two T20Is and three ODIs. Since then, both teams have only faced each other in the Asia Cup, World Cup and Champions Trophy tournaments. Modi further said that he believes India-Pakistan matches are unlikely in the near future, mainly due to political influence over the Pakistan Cricket Board and strong national sentiments on both sides. "So I fear for the players. I fear we are a very passionate and patriotic country and so are the Pakistanis, very passionate and patriotic country. So I fear that it may not be possible in the near future, unfortunately, primarily because of the politicisation by the Pakistan Cricket Board by the powers in Pakistan, and unfortunately, that's the way it is," Modi said. The most recent contest between India and Pakistan's men's cricket teams was in the 2026 T20 World Cup group stage, where the eventual winners, India, defeated Pakistan by 61 runs. (ANI)
|
