India v Pakistan Asia Cup matches will go ahead, insists ECB

Rivals could face each other three times in Dubai when T20 international tournament takes place next month

India all-rounder Hardik Pandya during the 2022 Asia Cup against Pakistan in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Organisers of the Asia Cup are confident there will be no cancelled matches when the competition takes place in the UAE next month.

The tournament was originally scheduled to be staged in India. However, it has been switched because of ongoing tension between India and Pakistan, and the matches will instead be played in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

India and Pakistan have been drawn in the same group. With a Super Four phase and a final to follow, it is possible they could face each other three times in Dubai between September 14 and 28.

Many fans do not believe the sides should be playing each other because of the political situation between the two countries.

At a veterans tournament - the World Championship of Legends (WCL) - in the UK this month, an Indian side including stars of the past like Yuvraj Singh and Shikhar Dhawan opted out of playing Pakistan.

Subhan Ahmed, the chief operating officer of the Emirates Cricket Board, said the same situation is unlikely to occur in the Asia Cup.

“We can’t make any guarantees, but comparing the Asia Cup against a private event like the WCL is not a like comparison,” Subhan said.

“When decisions to play in the Asia Cup are taken, government permissions are taken in advance.

“That has definitely been done before arriving at the decision of announcing the schedule for the countries. So hopefully we won’t be in a situation as there was at the WCL.”

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) responded furiously to what occurred in the WCL in the UK, in which the Pakistan team reached the final, where they lost to an AB de Villiers inspired South Africa.

They have issued a “blanket ban” to players participating in the WCL in the future, because of the “appalling conduct of awarding points to a willfully forfeiting team”.

They also said the explanation of the cancellation of the fixture between Pakistan and India was loaded with “hypocrisy and bias”.

“The PCB has always advocated for the separation of sports and politics,” they wrote in a statement.

“Our unwavering belief is that cricket, like other international sports, should solely serve as a platform for goodwill, healthy competition, and mutual respect.

“For a tournament involving legendary players to be dictated by sentiments that undermine this fundamental principle is not only regrettable but also deeply concerning for the future of independent sporting events.”

While the WCL is a privately-run event, the Asia Cup is arranged via a council made up of the competing countries.

The UAE has been regarded as the perfect neutral territory in which to stage Asia Cup tournaments multiple times in the past. Indeed, the first edition of the tournament was played in Sharjah in 1984.

In recent times, crowd unrest has occurred during matches between Pakistan and Afghanistan, but fixtures between India and Pakistan have generally been played out in an amiable atmosphere.

Subhan said no additional security measures are in place for next month as yet, but that the tournament organisers will be guided by higher authorities.

“We are dependent on what the government advises us in terms of our preparation,” Subhan said.

“If there is any specific directive from the government as to what arrangements should be put in place related to the ongoing environment, certainly we would put those steps in place.

“For the moment, we haven’t received anything. We will be having meetings and asking for their advice, and will be acting accordingly.

“It would be the government who would take the lead in putting forward any specific arrangements if they were required.”

Next month will be the third time in the past four editions of the men’s Asia Cup that the UAE has played host to the competition, a sequence which started in 2018.

Between those times, Dubai International Stadium has also staged T20 World Cup finals in both men’s and women’s cricket.

“When the stadium was built, the vision of the people who invested into that project was huge,” Subhan said of the ground in Dubai Sports City, which opened in 2009.

“Without the surety of getting major ICC events, they invested in the infrastructure. Fifteen to 20 years down the line, they have realised what a good decision that was.

“To build a stadium of this stature, as well as with Abu Dhabi and Sharjah having continued to invest in their respective properties, it gives us the edge over various other potential hosts when it comes to major events.”