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42m ago

Michael Atherton Urges ICC to End Arranged India–Pakistan Fixtures, Calls for Transparent Draws

Following Asia Cup flashpoints, he argues repeated pairings driven by broadcast money no longer serve the sport.

India and Pakistan played each other three times in the 2025 Asia Cup.
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Overview

  • Writing in The Times, the former England captain says ICC tournament draws should be transparent even if India and Pakistan do not face each time.
  • He contends the rivalry is being used as a proxy for political messaging, making economic justifications for engineered matchups unacceptable.
  • India and Pakistan have been placed to meet at every ICC event since 2013 and played three times at the 2025 Asia Cup, including the final.
  • The Asia Cup saw a refused handshake, provocative on‑field gestures, and India declining to take the trophy from Pakistan’s interior minister and ACC/PCB chief.
  • Atherton notes the fixture’s financial weight, citing roughly $3 billion in ICC broadcast rights for 2023–27, while media pressure mounts with no ICC policy change announced.