Desk Report,
Is the heat of the India-Pakistan match being felt?
The old days of excitement may be over. The star-studded lineup of both teams is not as it used to be. Yet the match is India-Pakistan! The heat of the match in Dubai, a hundred and a half kilometers away, reaches the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the Emirates.
Is the heat of the India-Pakistan match being felt?
It is difficult to understand the excitement of the locals or immigrants outside. Their lives are stuck in routine due to various busy schedules—even those who go to watch the game live in seclusion. But where cricket is the business, what else can the India-Pakistan match not come?
Faisal Khokhar, who has been given the responsibility of the media manager of the Abu Dhabi leg of the Asia Cup for the Asian Cricket Council, is perhaps the one who is most touched by the excitement of the match. The poor man’s life is being affected by the request of journalists eager to cover the India-Pakistan match. That has been the case since the beginning of the tournament. Since taking charge in Abu Dhabi, Faisal has been having to answer the question of journalists from other countries besides India and Pakistan whether this match can be covered or not. Yesterday, Faisal stopped the request once again before he could finish it, saying, “Fully overloaded, no chance.”
The stream of requests did not stop. Finally, Faisal had to send a message to the WhatsApp group of journalists covering the Asia Cup, boldly stating, “Only local journalists and journalists from the two teams in the match (India and Pakistan) will get the opportunity to cover the match.”
After seeing that message, a journalist jokingly said to Faisal, “Then there will be no more boycotts in the press box!” It was not clear from his face whether he was amused by that. However, the Pakistani-origin media manager said after a while, “I don’t like the word boycott in sports. Sports should stay away from politics.”
