So much of cricket's news space has been consumed by the participation controversy of first Bangladesh and then Pakistan that it is only now dawning on many fans that the T20 World Cup starts on Saturday.
It's a shame that instead of sifting through the incredible journeys of players from cricketing outposts to the heart of the game at the T20 World Cup, supporters are twiddling their thumbs, wondering if the tournament will go ahead as planned.
After Bangladesh were controversially removed from the T20 World Cup, a fire has been lit under the tournament that threatens to consume the whole entity.
Pakistan then raised the issue of unequal application of rules and withdrew from their World Cup match against India in Sri Lanka, citing lack of clearance from their government
Pakistan's main complaint is the decision by the ICC, cricket's governing body, not to allow Bangladesh to play their games outside India, especially since Pakistan are exempt from travelling to India due to security concerns. Moreover, India have been allowed to move entire tournaments to a neutral venue in the past.
As things stand, negotiations are going on between the ICC and the Pakistan Cricket Board, with senior officials looking to find a way through since a non-staging of the India v Pakistan match in Colombo on February 15 can result in significant financial loss to broadcasters and a cascading effect on the tournament's finances, integrity of existing contracts and future plans.
But there is a bigger issue facing Pakistan ahead of the India game.
Threat of rain in Colombo
While all eyes are on the India v Pakistan clash, Salman Agha's team are also scheduled to play the opening match of the tournament, against the Netherlands in Colombo on Saturday.
The news is not good on the weather front. Heavy rain has been forecast for the entire week, with thunderstorms expected until the weekend. Pakistan's opening game is at 9.30am local time, while rain is expected from around midday.
Pakistan were scheduled to play a warm-up game against Ireland on Wednesday in Colombo, but that match was abandoned due to bad weather.
In case the match against the Netherlands gets washed out, Pakistan will begin to feel the heat as their next game is against USA, the team that stunned them in 2024 and effectively edged them out of the competition.
After the USA game, it is the match against India, which Pakistan have said they plan to forfeit.
In this scenario, the match against USA could be make-or-break once again, if the weather plays spoilsport in the opener and the clash against India does not take place.
An untoward result or a washout early on could also prompt Pakistan to reconsider playing against India, since they have yet to formally inform the world body about their reluctance to play against their arch-rivals at the World Cup. As of now, the ICC has only taken note of a statement made by Pakistan's government on social media, with no formal documents submitted regarding the matter.
