In the middle of the IPL, two series are happening side-by-side between Pakistan and Zimbabwe as well as between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
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The Indian Premier League is like the behemoth that is dominating cricket at this point in time. Player exploits, records, priorities are all on the IPL. In a parallel universe, outside of the IPL, there are actually two international series happening. Sri Lanka are taking on Bangladesh in the ICC World Test Championship while Pakistan will take on Zimbabwe for three Twenty20 Internationals and two Tests.
Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh series had to happen now because of multiple delays due to coronavirus. Initially, COVID-19 postponed the series last year. In August, the series was delayed again for Bangladesh refused a hard quarantine. Now, in the middle of the IPL, the two Tests will be played.
Shakib Al Hasan decided to skip the Tests as he felt an IPL exposure would make sense considering it is World T20 year. Apart from Mustafizur Rahman, none of the other Bangladesh players are in the IPL. The situation with the Sri Lanka players is very different. After being the dominant pick in the first half of the IPL, they have vanished in the second half. Isuru Udana was the only Sri Lanka player in IPL 2020. In IPL 2021, there are none for the first time.
Ever since 2008, no Pakistan player has been part of the IPL due to the Mumbai terror attacks. Bilateral relations between the countries are non-existent since. There has been only one bilateral series in the last 14 years but that involved only T20Is and ODIs.
In the middle of the IPL, Pakistan and Zimbabwe are also playing a series in Harare of three T20Is and two Tests. The Tests are not even part of the ICC World Test Championship, with Zimbabwe not featuring in the cycle.
However, this series has given an opportunity by many Indian fans to sarcastically remark that contest between Zimbabwe and Pakistan was the greatest. In many social media posts in the past, Indian cricket fans have mocked Pakistan for playing against smaller opposition and not firing against big guns. On Facebook, Twitter, Pakistan and Zimbabwe have been mocked.
The mocking reeks of privilege. It reeks of the economic high-handedness by the Indian market in cricket. Fans are just soaking in the moment to mock a nation for playing another nation.
Cricket is caught in an interesting economic dystopia. It wants to expand but the economics of broadcasting and fan attention does not allow it to happen. There are 104 nations who are playing Twenty20 Internationals. All records are statistically recognized, yet the recognition is not that great.
Mocking Pakistan is a massive problem because the Indian cricket fan is only showing off his privilege. India is content in regularly playing only Australia, England and to a certain extent South Africa and New Zealand. Consider this, India has toured Australia twice in two years. Zimbabwe has not toured India for 18 years. India has made trips to Zimbabwe but their last series was in 2016. When they were planning a tour in 2019, it was canceled due to the IPL.
India play five Tests against England. Apart from that, they have never played five Tests against any opposition since 1992. One user aptly summed up the situation when he said, “Pakistan continues to get trolled for supporting associate and full-time struggling cricketing nations in international cricket. PCB is doing something that the ICC and Big 3, in particular, should be doing. Yet it’s, somehow, Pak that’s blamed for playing against ‘minnows’.”
Pakistan owe a big debt to Zimbabwe. They were the first nation to tour the country after six years following the attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March 2009. Their passage allowed other nations to come to Pakistan and play international cricket. Pakistan’s decade-long home isolation ended because of Zimbabwe.
India cannot make cricket grow by playing only against Australia, England and a select of band of nations. Since the broadcasting model is so reliant on revenue and eyeballs, this situation will arise. Fans preference will veer towards only elite nations participating. The gap between the haves and the have-nots of cricket has increased in the past few years.
The control of the Big 3 in the ICC has seen nations like Pakistan, South Africa, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and even the West Indies pushed to the sidelines. A South Africa B team played against Pakistan, with many key players going to the IPL. West Indies players manage because of their presence in the IPL. Bangladesh are only just above water. New Zealand’s financial clout is not so great as compared to Australia, England and India.
Pakistan trying to fill the void and play minnows must be appreciated. Yes, inflated records will come. But, in case of an upset, the story of the underdog is always glorious. Sport thrives on the probability of an upset. With elite nations, playing them over and over again loses the novelty factor.
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