Come October 23, the most predictable early-round fixture in ICC tournaments will be played in the T20 World Cup when India and Pakistan square off at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The two countries now play only in ICC events, with no bilateral series since 2013. But the world body is keen to cash in on the cricket-crazy subcontinent with a big windfall in terms of gate money and eyeballs on television guaranteed, as well as discussion points on social media. When are the two arch rivals playing each other? India and Pakistan clash on the opening weekend of the main round of the tournament at the iconic MCG. More than 90,000 spectators are expected at the stadium for the match. It is expected to be their first encounter since the T20 showpiece in the UAE late last year, when Pakistan broke their World Cup duck against India. How are the groups in an ICC world event decided? Presumably, on the basis of seedings and team rankings, after putting India and Pakistan in the same pool. Why is an India-Pakistan match a fixture in ICC events? Simply because it guarantees spectators at the ground, if allowed, mind-boggling television viewership, hype and talking points. The ICC has been on record stressing that it would be unwise not to take advantage of the biggest rivalry in world cricket. There’s no guarantee that there will be an India-Pakistan match if the two teams are put in separate pools, so they are put on the same side of the draw. With almost no likelihood of a clash otherwise, fans on both sides of the border look forward to these fixtures with heightened anticipation. Hence, an India-Pakistan game has been a certainty in the group phase for several years and tournaments now. What were the viewership figures for the India-Pakistan game in the T20 world cup? According to Broadcast Audience Research Council India (BARC), a TV audience measurement service, the India-Pak game in the 2021 T20 world cup soared up to 167 million viewers on television alone in India. According to the ICC, the India-Pakistan game in the 2019 ODI world cup had 273 million viewership worldwide and 50 million digital-only viewers. When did India and Pakistan last play on Australian soil? The two neighbours clashed in a group fixture of the 2015 50-over World Cup at the Adelaide Oval, with India prevailing quite handily on the back of a Virat Kohli hundred. The game was sold out within minutes. Before that, India and Pakistan were part of the 1999-2000 triangular one-day series Down Under, when Sachin Tendulkar’s team failed to make the best-of-three finals. Going back in time, India will have happy memories of the 1985 World Championship of Cricket, which they won in grand style under Sunil Gavaskar’s captaincy. They beat Pakistan twice in that tournament, once in their opening match and then in the final, both games incidentally played at the MCG. Why haven’t the two teams played bilateral series for almost a decade now? Relations between the neighbours have been tense. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) requires the government’s nod to play bilaterally against Pakistan. The government cites Pakistan’s support to terrorism on Indian soil as the reason for denying permission. In fact, Pakistani players have not featured in the Indian Premier League (IPL) after the first edition in 2008. They have no option but to allow the two teams to meet in multilateral events organised by the world body as otherwise, it may invite ICC sanctions for bringing political influence into the game. What has been the effect of this freeze on the two boards? The BCCI is an immensely cash-rich organisation, and is not impacted much financially as any match India plays is guaranteed to be a money-spinner for the board and sponsors alike. Also, the IPL has significantly added to the BCCI’s coffers. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is not so lucky. It couldn’t hold its home matches in the country for a long time – first due to the conflict in neighbouring Afghanistan, and then after the terrorist attack on the visiting Sri Lankan team in Lahore in 2009. Now international cricket is gradually returning to Pakistan, but no other home series can carry as much significance, financially and psychologically, as one against India. PCB has been trying to bring the matter up in various forums, trying to force India into bilateral fixtures, but without much luck till now. Newsletter | Click to get the day's best explainers in your inbox
