Boycott averted, India and Pakistan set for T20 World Cup blockbuster

⁠India and Pakistan will clash in the Twenty20 World Cup in Colombo on Sunday, still feeling the aftershocks of a tumultuous fortnight in which Pakistan’s ultimately empty threat to boycott nearly blew a hole in the tournament’s marquee fixture.

With bilateral cricket a casualty of their fraught relations, emotions run high whenever the bitter ‌neighbours lock horns in multi-team events at neutral venues.

India’s strained relations with another neighbour, Bangladesh, have further tangled the geopolitics around the World Cup.

When Bangladesh were replaced by Scotland in the 20-team field for refusing to tour India over safety concerns, the regional chessboard shifted.

Pakistan decided to boycott the Group A contest against India in solidarity with Bangladesh, jeopardising a lucrative fixture that sits at the intersection of sport, commerce, and geopolitics.

Faced with the prospect of losing millions ⁠of dollars in evaporating advertising revenue, the broadcasters panicked. The governing International Cricket Council (ICC) held hectic behind-the-scenes talks and eventually brokered ‌a compromise to salvage the tournament’s most sought-after contest.

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