Former English cricketer and commentator David Lloyd has urged the ICC to stop pre-scheduling matches between India and Pakistan in major tournaments.
It’s true that the rich and long-standing cricketing legacy that both India and Pakistan have is what makes the game so exciting. Their countless intense historical battles with a plethora of legendary players add much to their magnificence. The tremendous anticipation for these matches is made even greater by the intricate geopolitical relationship between the two countries, making it a hotly contested and passionate battle.
However, now it seems that the touch of surprise and uniqueness has been lacking when comparing the Indo-Pak cricket rivalry to the final match of the bilateral white-ball series, which India hosted in 2012–13. The two sides have ever since always squared off in the Champions Trophy, T20 World Cup, and 50-over World Cup, among other major ICC tournaments. In the same vein, well-known commentator and former English cricketer David Lloyd found it challenging and dishonest that these games have often taken place in the group stages of any showpiece event.
The former English all-rounder remarked that he was adamantly opposed to the practice of often putting the Men in Green and India together at major events for the sake of show. In addition to this, the former left-handed batter highlighted the bizarre nature of cricket’s strong anti-match-fixing policy, which goes unregulated despite inevitably occurring India-Pakistan matches in every tournament group stage.
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Furthermore, the 77-year-old legend said that the fixtures’ credibility is hampered by their ‘fixed’ arrangement. The Lancashire-born cricketer urged against prearranging these fixtures years in advance and in favour of letting them happen gradually.
The legendary cricketer further advised the ICC to stop pre-scheduling India vs. Pakistan games in marquee events. In addition to this, the cricketer-turned-commentator feels that these matches, which have been taking place at every ICC event since 2013, jeopardise the integrity of the sport. He claims that these acts damage the fairness and integrity of the match as they amount to “fixing fixtures” and change the results of the match for financial purposes.
“You just spoke about the independence of fixtures. We talk long and hard about fixing in cricket. That’s fixed. It’s just fixed for a major event. I think the romance of anything like this if they do get drawn together – not that they are – but if they do, there’s a romance to it. There’s something for spectators to look forward to. So if it happens, then it becomes an event. The game itself is an event. You can’t fix it. And that’s only part of what we fix. We fix loads to stuff. In this particular World Cup, you’re just trying to manipulate. It’s just wrong,” stated Lloyd, in a conversation with talkSPORT.
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