English Legend Demands End to India vs. Pakistan Cricket Matches: “Proxy for Propaganda”

The age-old rivalry between India and Pakistan is a permanent spectacle across sport. Cricket, which is one of the points of commonality between the two countries is undoubtedly the most-watched battle between the two sides.

With intense rivalries since the 1950s till date, an India vs. Pakistan encounter draws everyone in. More recently, the 2025 Asia Cup saw both nations resort to verbal tactics and gestures that had never been seen before.

The one thing sport has tried its best to save itself from, politics, had a massive say in the tournament. Both countries went through a very rough phase politically, earlier this year, after the unfortunate Pahalgam attack carried by extremists descending from Pakistan.

The Indian team didn’t get on stage to collect their winner’s trophy from the ACC chairman Mohsin Naqvi as he happens to be a Pakistani national. Former England captain Michael Atherton in his article in The Times gave a bold verdict on the future of India vs. Pakistan cricket.

If cricket was once the vehicle for diplomacy, it is now, clearly, a proxy for broader tensions and for propaganda. There is little justification, in any case, for a serious sport to arrange tournament fixtures to suit its economic needs and now that the rivalry is being exploited in other ways, there is even less justification for it. For the next broadcast rights cycle, the fixture draw before ICC events should be transparent and if the two teams do not meet every time, so be it.

Michael Atherton via The Times

Yes, the clash does involve a lot of money as it brings in multiple advertisements and the big cheques but if it kills the essence of sport, it is not helping the cause, in fact, it is only wounding it further.

Michael Atherton quotes ‘Sunny Days’ to add to his views on India vs. Pakistan

‘Sunny Days’ is a book which is a part of Indian cricketing folklore. An autobiography of the legendary former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar, dives into many notes of Indian cricket in the 1970s and 80s. One such note is the relationship the Indian cricketers have had with their Pakistani peers back in the day.

It is important to note that India had fought two wars with Pakistan in a span of 6 years. One in 1965 and the other in 1971. Atherton in his article dives into a small anecdote he takes from the ‘Sunny Days’, about how the 1971 War was kept away from the bond the cricketers shared.

In his memoir, Sunny Days, Sunil Gavaskar recalled the World XI tour to Australia in 1971-72 — which took place during the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971 — and which included three India players, Farokh Engineer, Bishan Singh Bedi and Gavaskar himself, and three Pakistan players, Intikhab Alam, Zaheer Abbas and Asif Masood. Gavaskar recalled how they ate often at Pakistani restaurants together, and how ‘there was no tension at all between the Indian and Pakistan players, despite what was happening’

Michael Atherton via The Times

In fact, as recent as the 2025 Champions Trophy in Dubai saw players of both countries exchange pleasantries. The Asia Cup 2025 has certainly announced a new age relationship between the two countries, and one has to wait and see at which point will normalcy resume in the rivalry.

Also Read:

• Indian Youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal’s Individual Goal at World Cup Revealed
• Despite 12-0 Feat Against Pakistan, Indian Analyst Criticizes Women’s Team for Major Flaw

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Join our newsletter to receive exclusive updates and curated insights directly to your inbox.

Subscribe NOW