Sports
Why playing India is the smartest decision PCB has made in months
In international cricket, principle is often loud, emotional and instantly gratifying. Strategy, on the other hand, is quieter, slower, and frequently misunderstood.
Pakistan’s decision to eventually agree to play India on February 15 falls squarely in the latter category, and despite the initial optics, it is the right call.
The dramatic boycott call did what it needed to do early on. It created noise, unsettled the International Cricket Council (ICC), and earned Pakistan something it has been desperately short of in recent years: an ally.
Bangladesh’s open friction with the ICC and India over security, scheduling and governance issues suddenly aligned its interests with Pakistan’s.
The alignment may be situational for now, but in a cricketing ecosystem where Pakistan often finds itself isolated, even a temporary ally matters. In what seemed like an emotional and loud drama initially, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has done something that suggests calculation rather than impulse.
The country’s stance carried weight morally as it played its strongest card not for immediate self-benefit, but in visible solidarity with another board, one with far less financial leverage and political capital.
The episode also forced a conversation about power imbalance in world cricket and structural marginalisation of smaller boards.
By standing with Bangladesh, Pakistan positioned itself not as a lone dissenter, but as part of a broader discomfort within the “middle tier” of cricket nations. However, the PCB has bills to pay, and such symbolic gestures, regardless of their strength, are not going to balance the books, which is why deciding to play the India game is a strategic win.
By taking the field on Sunday, Pakistan will avoid the twin disasters a boycott would have triggered: forfeiture of crucial match points and loss of ICC revenue. The former would not have hurt Pakistan competitively as much, given their record against India.
Of the 16 times the two arch-rivals have faced each other in the shortest format, Pakistan have only won three, while India dominates with 13 victories. Instead, it was the huge potential loss of money that got the governing body quiver at Pakistan’s boycott call.
The uncomfortable truth of the India-Pakistan clash is that it is not merely a cricket match. It is a financial event, the economic engine that quietly funds the ICC’s ecosystem.
India receives 38.5 per cent of the ICC’s revenue distribution in the current cycle, which is more than what the next six boards receive combined. Pakistan’s share hovers around five to six per cent. This disparity is not an accident; it reflects market gravity.
The Indian broadcast market alone drives the bulk of ICC media rights, a deal worth billions over a four-year cycle, which is the major source of revenue for the governing body.
But despite receiving the lion’s share, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)’s income doesn’t depend on the ICC, as its revenue is heavily dominated by the Indian Premier League (IPL) and bilateral series.
Hence, any financial loss to the ICC would not have impacted BCCI as strongly as it would have Pakistan and other cricket boards, whose incomes are heavily dependent on their ICC revenue share.
There is a reason India-Pakistan contests are manufactured into every ICC tournament. They are the biggest television events in cricket, reportedly accounting for 20-30pc of a tournament’s total broadcast value in a single match. The marquee encounter does not fund India’s cricket at a large scale, but it subsidises the ecosystem in which Pakistan cricket survives.
To risk that revenue for a dispute that was not even Pakistan’s own would have been strategically naive. Agreeing to play India also repairs and strengthens the PCB’s working relationship with other boards, particularly Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), who strongly requested Pakistan to call off its boycott.
These are boards that Pakistan has often relied on for neutral venues, logistical cooperation and political support within ICC committees. A unilateral boycott would have made Pakistan appear rigid, pushing it further to the margins at a time when it needs quiet diplomacy, not loud isolation.
Lately, even the ICC has been accommodating towards the PCB, bending significantly by agreeing to a hybrid hosting model to ensure that Pakistan does not have to play in India.
Pushing the governing body further, especially when Pakistan lacks the financial muscle to challenge it head-on, would have been a dangerous escalation. The larger context is bleak, as the ICC is effectively run by India. This is not a conspiracy, but an economic reality.
India’s billion-plus market dictates broadcast value, sponsorship interest and administrative power. Complaining about reality without a long-term counter strategy is futile.
While boycotts feel defiant, the harsh reality is that they change nothing. Pakistan currently does not possess the commercial influence or on-field dominance required to force systemic change. That does not mean it should abandon principle altogether, but it must choose its battles wisely.
By taking a firm stance and then agreeing to play, the PCB has extracted narrative value without incurring material loss. It has shown that it can push back, but also that it understands its limitations.
In a sport that is increasingly governed by realpolitik, that balance matters.
Header image: Pakistan’s Hasan Ali in action with India’s Ravindra Jadeja before getting caught out by Shubman Gill during the blockbuster match at a heaving Narendra Modi Stadium on October 14, 2023. — File/Reuters
— The author is a sports journalist.
South Africa survived their pace spearhead Kagiso Rabada’s final-over meltdown before edging out Afghanistan via a second Super Over in a heart-stopping Group D match of the T20 World Cup on Wednesday.
Having matched South Africa’s score of 187-6 before losing all their wickets, Afghanistan milked 17 runs from the first Super Over sent down by Lungi Ngidi.
This time South Africa tied the score with Tristan Stubbs hitting the final delivery from Azmatullah Omarzai for a six.
In the second Super Over, Afghanistan scored 19 before losing both the wickets in reply to South Africa’s 23.
In the match’s first innings, Quinton de Kock and Ryan Rickelton hit blazing half-centuries after Afghanistan invited South Africa to bat first.
South Africa lost an early wicket but de Kock, who hit 59, and Rickelton (61) got going in a partnership of 114 to take the attack to the opposition.
Afghanistan bowlers pulled things back after the duo fell to star spinner Rashid Khan as South Africa fell short of what looked like a total of more than 200 at one stage.
De Kock reached his fifty off 34 balls with a four off Mujeebur Rahman and two balls later fellow left-hander Rickelton struck a six to get to his half-century.
The duo unleashed a flurry of fours and sixes, forcing Afghanistan to rotate their bowlers at the world’s biggest cricket stadium, which was largely empty.
Leg-spinner Rashid hit back as he got the dangermen in the space of three balls with de Kock caught out at deep mid-wicket and Rickelton trapped lbw.
The wickets slowed down South Africa’s run-scoring and Dewald Brevis fell in his attempt to accelerate after his 23 off 19 balls.
David Miller hit an unbeaten 20 and Marco Jansen made 16 off seven balls to help the Proteas finish strong.
Sports
Rawalpindi secures pacer Naseem Shah for Rs86.5m in highest bid at PSL 11 player auction in Lahore
The first-ever player auction for the 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is underway in Lahore, with fast bowler Naseem Shah sold to Rawalpindi for Rs86.5 million — the highest bid of the auction.
Following multiple rounds of bidding, which saw major players auctioned off, including Fakhar Zaman, David Warner, and Muhammad Amir, the auction ceremony took a short recess.
Last month, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that the upcoming season of the country’s premier cricket league would adopt an auction model, replacing the previous draft system.
Sahibzada Farhan sold off to Sialkot Stallionz
The bidding on wicket keepers began with Azam Khan — at the base price of Rs11m. With the final bids of Rs31.5m by Sialkot Stallionz and Rs32.5m by Karachi Kings, the latter managed to secure Khan.
However, Sialkot Stallionz bagged Sahibzada Farhan against Karachi Kings, with a bid of Rs57m.
Next up were Sri Lankan cricketer Dinesh Chandimal and West Indies’ Johnson Charles, both of whom went unsold.
Sri Lanka’s former ODI captain Kusal Mendis also remained unsold.
Quetta Gladiators secured Khawaja Mohammad Nafay with a bid of Rs65m.
Team Rawalpindi bags Naseem Shah; Haris Rauf with Lahore Qalandars
At the outset of the bidding for fast bowlers, Muhammad Ali was sold off to Hyderabad Houston Kingsmen in a last-minute bid of Rs21.5m against Rawalpindi’s Rs20.5m.
Next up was Chris Jordan, who went unsold after receiving zero bids.
Lahore Qalandars regained fast-bowler Haris Rauf at Rs76m against Rawalpindi’s Rs74.5m bid. Muhammad Hasnain received no bids.
Karachi Kings put in the first bid for Naseem Shah at Rs65m, followed by Islamabad United bidding Rs66.5m.
After a series of back-and-forth bids between the two, Rawalpindi came in at a bid of Rs86.5m, following which Karachi Kings bowed out.
Rawalpindi also secured Muhammad Amir with the winning bid of Rs54m.
Bangladeshi spinner Rishaad Hossain was sold to Rawalpindi for a bid of Rs30m. Next up were spinners Mamoon Imtiaz, Ali Majid, Momin Qamar, Peter Hatzoglou, and Arif Yaqoob, who did not receive any bids.
Faisal Akram was sold off to Quetta Gladiators for the final bid of Rs12.5m.
David Warner goes to Karachi Kings; Lahore Qalandars retains Fakhar
The second round began with Barbadian cricketer Kyle Mayers at the base price of Rs11m, who went unsold after no bids were made.
Lahore Qalandars managed to retain Fakhar Zaman with a winning bid of Rs79.5m against Peshawar Zalmi.
New Zealand’s Colin Munroe went unsold as well. Followed closely by Fakhar’s bid, Karachi Kings bagged Australian batsman David Warner at Rs79m after a round of back-and-forth bidding with Peshawar Zalmi.
The highest bid in the round came as New Zealand’s Daryl Mitchell was sold off to Rawalpindi at a bid of Rs80.5m.
South African batsman Rilee Rossouw was sold off to Quetta Gladiators for Rs55m, while Rassie van der Dussen remained unsold.
Islamabad United bags all-rounder Faheem Ashraf
The auction began with bidding on all-rounders, starting with Faheem Ashraf at the base price of Rs42m, with Islamabad United putting in the final bid at Rs85m.
The second all-rounder to be auctioned was Imaad Wasim at Rs42m, followed by Bangladesh’s Mehidy Hasan Miraz at the base price of Rs11m; however, no bids were made by any of the teams.
All-rounders Hussain Talat, Asif Afridi, Danish Aziz, and Muhammad Zeeshan at the base price of Rs11m received no bids as well.
Aamir Jamal was sold off to Peshawar Zalmi for a bid of Rs19m, while Lahore Qalandars bagged Usama Mir at Rs35m.
Islamabad United and Karachi Kings went neck and neck bidding for Pakistan team captain Salman Ali Agha.
However, with the final bid of Rs58.5m, Karachi Kings secured the player.
At the outset of the ceremony, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) PSL Salman Naseer addressed the audience.
“When the HBL PSL X ended, and the euphoria died down a little, and we looked ahead at the path in front of us, all commercial contracts had come to an end…monumental challenges lay ahead,” he said.
“PSL and PCB team have burned out midnight oil day in and day out to get us where we are today,” Naseer said.
PCB, in a statement issued today, said that over 800 players have registered for the auction.
In January, the cricket board shared the base prices for players, with the top bracket set at Rs42 million (platinum), followed by Rs22m (diamond), Rs11m (gold), and Rs6m (silver and emerging).
The cricket board said the minimum incremental bid for each base price would follow as:
- Rs250,000 for bid amounts under Rs11m
- Rs500,000 for bid amounts under Rs22m
- Rs1m for bid amounts under Rs42m
- Rs1.5m for bid amounts above Rs42m
“The franchises are free to bid higher than the above-mentioned minimum incremental bid for each base price,” the PCB said.
Each squad will have a “minimum of 16 players and a maximum of 20 players per franchise”, while the number of foreign players would be five to seven, depending on the squad size.
PCB said that it would be mandatory for the franchises to include a minimum of three and a maximum of four foreign players in the playing XI.
Furthermore, it said that the teams would also be required to have a minimum of two uncapped Under-23 players in the squad and one in the playing XI.
The cricket board said, “Players either retained or picked in the HBL PSL 11 Players Auction will be engaged for two-year contracts with their respective franchise teams. After the HBL PSL 11, the franchise teams will be able to retain a maximum of seven players for the 12th edition of the tournament.”
“Following the HBL PSL 12, there shall be a grand auction whereby each franchise is allowed a maximum of five retentions. Any released player will return to the player auction pool,” it added.
PCB said that the franchises would also be entitled to directly sign one foreign player for the upcoming season, who has not played in the previous edition.
“The franchise team’s purse of Rs450m would be extendable to Rs505m to include the directly signed foreign players.”
“The PCB will also contribute towards the procurement of elite foreign players,” the statement said.
The tournament is scheduled to be held from March 26 to May 3. The forthcoming PSL will also feature two new franchises — Hyderabad and Sialkot — raising the total number of teams to 8.
Prolific Indian opener Abhishek Sharma has been hospitalised with an upset stomach ahead of the group match against Namibia at the T20 World Cup, a cricket board official said on Wednesday.
The explosive left-hander is key to India’s chances of defending their title at the 20-team tournament and is doubtful for the Group A fixture on Thursday in New Delhi.
The 25-year-old was admitted to a Delhi hospital on Tuesday after he missed training with a stomach issue he carried from the opener in Mumbai, the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate acknowledged the concern on Tuesday, saying the batsman had “still got a few issues with his tummy”.
“We hope that he’ll be available for the game in a few days’ time.”
Abhishek was out for a duck in India’s win over the United States but has been a strong performer in the lead-up to the tournament.
India play arch-rivals Pakistan in a blockbuster on Sunday.
On Monday, the Pakistani government announced it was withdrawing its decision to boycott the match with India, which had been taken previously in the wake of Bangladesh’s replacement by Scotland in the tournament, following their refusal to tour India.
Pakistan’s decision to move forward with the much-anticipated game came after protracted negotiations between the ICC and the cricket boards of Pakistan and Bangladesh, consultations among national leaders, and interventions by friendly nations such as Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates.
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