India said on Tuesday that facing a “quality” Pakistan team in Colombo will be “a challenge”, after authorities in Islamabad ordered the national team to play the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup match scheduled for February 15.
On Monday night, the federal government ended a week-long standoff by rescinding its order to the cricket team to boycott the clash.
“It’s great that the game is back, we never changed the preparation,” said India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate.
India will face a second Group A match against Namibia on Thursday in New Delhi before flying to Sri Lanka.
It means a quick turnaround for Sunday’s match, the biggest and most lucrative clash in world cricket.
“It’s going to be a challenge to go to Colombo, where Pakistan has been for the last two weeks,” Ten Doeschate added.
“We are delighted to have another opportunity to play against a quality team in the first phase of the tournament. We are fully focused on delivering our best game in that match.”
Pakistan prepared perfectly for the clash with a second victory of the tournament in Colombo on Tuesday, by 32 runs against the United States.
Opener Sahibzada Farhan, top scorer with 73, said: “The match has started and we are confident.”
The last time the teams met, in last year’s T20 Asian Cup, India beat Pakistan three times on their way to lifting the trophy in Dubai.
“This time it will be different and we will perform well,” Farhan said. “We lost all three matches, including the Asia Cup final against India, but they were not one-sided.”
Pakistan’s decision to go ahead with the match was hailed on Tuesday as an outbreak of “good sense” and “good for cricket”.
In a frenetic weekend of negotiations, the heads of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) flew to Lahore on Sunday for talks with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
The governments of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka wrote to the government in Islamabad on Monday, urging it to change its stance and allow the game to go ahead.
‘Spirit of cricket’
After “multilateral discussions as well as request from friendly countries, the Government of Pakistan orders the Pakistan national cricket team to take the field on February 15,” the Islamabad government said on its official X account on Monday evening.
The decision was taken with the aim of “protecting the spirit of cricket”, he added.
Said former Indian cricketer Madan Lal AFP on Tuesday that it was “good for cricket”. “We want strong teams to play so that the charm of the World Cup is not lost,” he added.
Sri Lanka, which will host the match, which generates several million dollars in advertising, broadcasting rights, sponsorship and tourism, also praised the decision.
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, in a social media post, thanked Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for “ensuring that the game we all love continues.”
Veteran Indian journalist Pradeep Magazine said AFP“Good sense has prevailed everywhere.” Financial considerations would have been taken into account, he added.
“Everyone realized that losing revenue from a match between India and Pakistan would have been a lose-lose situation for all ICC member nations.”
Bitter buildup
The 20-team tournament has been overshadowed by a bitter political situation. Bangladesh, who refused to play in India due to security concerns, were replaced by Scotland.
In protest, Islamabad ordered the national team not to face co-hosts India in the Group A match.
Pakistan, who beat the Netherlands in the first match of the tournament on Saturday, would have conceded two points if they had lost the match.
Pakistan will play all of its T20 World Cup matches in Sri Lanka as part of an ICC agreement that ensures the two nations only meet on neutral territory.
India captain Suryakumar Yadav said on Friday, ahead of their opening win against the United States, that his team would travel to Colombo for the clash whether the match was on or not.
“We haven’t said no to playing against them,” Suryakumar said. “Our flights are booked and we are leaving for Colombo.”
