"Despite strained relations, India-Pakistan matches remain a financial cornerstone for tournament organisers, who aim to maximise their revenues and viewership numbers. The Asia Cup cricket tournament starts on Tuesday, but for tournament organisers, sponsors and cricket fans from India and Pakistan, it won't be before Sunday, when the two regional superpowers face each other, that the event will spring into action."
"After all, it will be their first meeting since the South Asian archrivals returned from the brink of an all-out war in May, when both countries clashed at their shared border before an internationally-brokered ceasefire. It has been almost 18 years since India and Pakistan last met in a Test match the five-day version of cricket widely regarded as the pinnacle of the sport and almost 13 years since either side crossed the border to play a bilateral series."
"But between September 14 and 21, if results go the way the organisers hope for, Pakistan and India could end up playing three times. A decades-old political rift between the two nuclear-armed countries is blamed for the frosty sporting ties, but the same differences are set aside when a regional or global cricket event comes around. Pakistan was carved out of India in 1947, resulting in a bloody division of the subcontinent by the colonial British."
Asia Cup begins Tuesday, but the India-Pakistan match on Sunday will dominate attention and viewership, acting as the tournament's commercial linchpin. Recent cross-border clashes in May brought extra intensity to the Dubai encounter, marking the first meeting since the countries nearly escalated to all-out war. India and Pakistan have not met in a Test match for almost 18 years and have not played a bilateral series for about 13 years. Organisers could arrange up to three matches between the sides from September 14 to 21 depending on results. Political rifts since 1947 partition, wars and the Kashmir dispute have frequently affected cricket ties, including Pakistan's 1990-91 withdrawal.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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