Desk Report,
Why is there a higher chance of India-Pakistan matches in the Asia Cup?
England may be the ‘father’ of cricket, but the ‘heartland’ of the game is in South Asia.
Five of the 12 Test-playing nations are in South Asia. Three of these teams are also the superpowers of the cricketing world—India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It is therefore not surprising that the Asia Cup has attracted special attention as the only continental battle for supremacy in cricket.
Why is there a higher chance of India-Pakistan matches in the Asia Cup?
However, the reality is that without the India-Pakistan match, the Asia Cup would not have been financially sustainable at all. The tournament’s organiser, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), makes as much money as it can from this match. And so this year’s schedule has been made in such a way that the audience has the maximum opportunity to watch the India-Pakistan match more than once. The Asia Cup starts in the United Arab Emirates from tomorrow. India and Pakistan are in Group ‘A’ along with the United Arab Emirates and Oman. The two neighbours will face each other in the group stage match on September 14. After that, there is a strong possibility that India and Pakistan will face each other again in the Super Four on September 21. Because, the top two teams from Group ‘A’ are scheduled to face each other in the Super Four that day. With all due respect to the United Arab Emirates and Oman, it can be said that India and Pakistan are more likely to advance to the Super Four as the top two teams from this group. Then there is a chance that the two neighbors will meet once again. That is, in the final on September 28. That is, there is also a possibility of seeing a three-match series between India and Pakistan at the helm of this Asia Cup—due to hostile political relations, which was last seen a decade ago. India and Pakistan last faced each other in a bilateral series in 2013.
The US business-oriented magazine Forbes reported that since interest in the India-Pakistan match is high, the demand for tickets for this match has increased greatly and the prices have also increased. Tickets for several matches are being sold together as a ‘bundle’. For example, the price of a ‘bundle’ ticket for three matches, including the India-Pakistan match on September 14, for entry through the general gate (general admission), is $134.60 (approximately Tk 16,346).
