The Pakistan-India rivalry has always gone beyond the boundary ropes, but sadly what should have been a celebration of sporting excellence has now turned into an arena of hostility and disdain. The recent incident, where the Indian team refused to receive the Asia Cup trophy from Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi, was not just unsportsmanlike-it was a disgraceful reflection of how politics has poisoned the spirit of the game. Sports are meant to unify, to transcend political and national divides, and to demonstrate respect even in defeat or victory. The very essence of cricket-known as a gentleman’s game-demands grace, humility, and sportsmanship. Yet, India’s conduct has been anything but. From refusing bilateral series to dictating neutral venues, from avoiding basic courtesies like handshakes to now openly disrespecting official protocols, India has crossed all lines of decency.
Question arises. What is so special about India? Why, then, should Pakistan continue to play along? Why should our cricket board bend over backwards to accommodate a neighbor that not only denies us fair play but also seeks to humiliate us on international platforms? The International Cricket Council (ICC), whose very duty is to maintain discipline and uphold the sanctity of the sport, has remained a silent spectator, further emboldening such behavior. It is also true that India Pakistan clash draws huge crowd, and huge crowd means huge money. But money is not everything as compared to self-respect. It is time Pakistan takes a principled stance. We must withdraw from engagements with India until the values of sportsmanship are restored. It is very strange that International Cricket Council the only competent authority on cricket has failed to bring discipline in teams. Pride in begging for neutral venues or in playing under conditions dictated by political agendas must be rejected. There is no room for any flexibility. Pakistan should instead focus on building stronger cricketing ties with nations that respect the game. Perhaps this is first occasion in the history of cricket that India has misbehaved. To counter Indian arrogance, we should expand our domestic leagues to provide exposure to our young talent, and highlight India’s violations on every available international forum. The choice before us is not between cricket and politics; it is between dignity and humiliation, it is between discipline and ill-discipline, it is between respect and disrespect. Until India learns to respect the spirit of sport, seek apology for their misconduct Pakistan must stay aloof. For ensuring full respect ICC must intervene and prove their control over cricket affairs. True strength lies not in chasing reluctant rivals, but in walking away with self-respect intact. Now a word about own cricket team which failed to win this well contested game due to certain bad decisions and absolute careless bating allowed India to complete hat trick in defeating Pakistan three times. There are basic flaws which have never been attended by coach, manager, captain of the team and the players. Just imagine a team playing so well losing the first wicket at 113 runs losing the remaining nine wickets in 39 balls scoring 33 runs and losing 9 wickets. All 9 players fell victim to spinners while playing defective shots. The team has a tendency to lift the ball high towards sky providing ample time to fielders take the catch. The ball must be hit parallel to the ground. Last two overs the bowler must target legs and try to hit the wickets allowing little room to batsman. Our bowlers without thinking start bowling in all directions of the wicket thus providing easy target to hit the ball. There is no justification to give full toss ball to hit six. Lastly some players need to be changed and inducted on merit not on parchi. Salman Agha, Saim, Talat Hussain and Faheem Ashraf must be shown the door, President PCB also needs to be changed and some professional be appointed. Merit coupled with accountability is the only road to success.
