Pact after burning midnight oil, sleepless nights and flying miles

So the India-Pakistan game is finally back on track. It was always likely to be so, with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) left with little choice but to return to the negotiating table and perform a volte-face on its proclaimed threat to boycott the high-profile February 15 contest in Colombo. The alternative would have invited severe sanctions.

But things did not settle just like that. The resolution came after burning the midnight oil, sleepless nights and thousands of flying hours. While deputy chief Imran Khwaja was in Lahore negotiating on behalf of the ICC, the global body's CEO Sanjog Gupta, who flew to Mumbai from Colombo on the same day he arrived there, and his team did all the heavy lifting behind the scenes for the last 48 hours.

It was incumbent upon the ICC to protect the sanctity of the tournament while safeguarding the interests of the thousands of fans who had booked flight tickets and hotels in Colombo. The PCB's deliberate intransigence was hurting genuine cricket fans.

The ICC initiated talks with the PCB and the Bangladesh Cricket Board as part of its policy of engaging with member boards, but there was also something in the fine print - arrangement over India-Pakistan games - which it intended to uphold.

The ICC held firm on its expectation that Pakistan did not have grounds to make any demands and should in fact play the game as per the terms of Participation and the agreement it signed in December 2024 which proposed a hybrid hosting structure to accommodate India and Pakistan's matches in neutral venues.

Dialogue over confrontation is its avowed policy, but it also had a responsibility to protect the overall interests of the tournament. "In that prevailing spirit, it was agreed that all members will respect their commitments as per the terms of participation for ICC events and do all that is necessary to ensure that the ongoing edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup is a success," the ICC said after successful conclusion of the negotiations with the two boards - PCB and BCB..

"The dialogue between ICC and PCB took place as part of a broader engagement with both parties recognising the need for constructive dealings and being united, committed and purposeful in their aspirations to serve the best interests of the game with integrity, neutrality and cooperation."