POTW: RedwoodOriginal

[MenInG]

It's the silly season again! Three hints: India, Pakistan, tournament

For his wonderful and thought-provoking post on how/why Pakistan should stick to their guns when it comes to the issue of hosting the Champions Trophy 2025, this week's POTW award goes to @RedwoodOriginal - Congratulations!

Much to the surprise of absolutely no one, the Indian government announced last week that they will not send their cricket team to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy. While past refusals have often been accepted quietly by Pakistan, I believe this time fans have reason to hope. Pakistan is finally taking a firm stance, and there are compelling reasons to challenge the status quo.

Let me preface this by saying I am speaking hypothetically here; if India decides not to participate, they have the political and financial power to do so. They are the biggest board in town and that will be that. But what’s different this time around is the PCB and the Mohsin Naqvi regime's strategic response, which has asked for a formal written explanation from India’s government outlining their reasons for not allowing travel to Pakistan. The PCB can leverage that same rationale in the future for ICC events in India, with the Pakistan government barring its own team from travelling to India on equal grounds. But in such a scenario nobody would be able to hold that against the Pakistan, because it will be India who will be the one responsible for setting the precedent.

This would place the ICC in an uncomfortable position, particularly around its tendency to “tournament-fix” by pairing India and Pakistan in the same group. This match is, without question, the ICC’s most profitable and highly publicized fixture. The numbers really speak for themselves. The India-Pakistan match at the ICC World Cup 2023 attracted a global audience of over 200 million viewers, with ad rates reaching $40,000 for just 10 seconds in India. The same India-Pakistan game peaked with a (at the time) record-breaking 35 million concurrent viewers on Disney+ Hotstar. These figures not only drive up revenue but bolster the ICC’s image as a promoter of a "global" sport, a narrative heavily reliant on this one match.

However, the perception that cricket enjoys a robust international following is frankly speaking, a myth. Cricket’s fanbase is concentrated, with over 90% of global viewership coming from India. For the ICC, these numbers from the India-Pakistan rivalry inflate the appearance of cricket as a truly global sport.

Richard Gould, the chief executive of the ECB was recently in Pakistan and I noticed that alot of media outlets picked up his statement about how you "can't even think of an ICC tournament without India." But if anyone bothered to read his full-statement, he also said that you can't have even think about an ICC tournament without Pakistan either. Because both India and Pakistan are established full-members and big markets for this sport. Pakistan may not have nearly the same number of eye-balls as India but Pakistan's 220 million-strong market—with a sizeable middle class—is still one of cricket’s major assets, and the ICC cannot afford to disregard it. A scenario without Pakistan would damage the ICC’s bottom line and global reach.

Hypothetically, if these tensions prevented an India-Pakistan match, the ACC and ICC would likely face significant financial losses and potential contractual issues with broadcasters and sponsors who bank on the viewership spike from these games. Advertisers could demand refunds or renegotiations, leading to a substantial dip in tournament profitability and possibly even in future media rights valuations. On a lower level, it could also shift the perception of cricket’s inclusivity on the world stage, potentially impacting long-term relationships with broadcasters and sponsors eager to capitalize on the economics of this match.

Ofcourse it's highly likely that by tomorrow we could see the PCB cower to India's demands and accept a hybrid model. But just this once, I really hope that they stand their ground. As a Pakistani fan, I am tired of watching India use cricket as a tool to bully us and erode the joy of this game for our fans. Our country is rife with problems and our cricket team is not even that good. For many, the few moments of joy that cricket brings us is the only light at the end of a dark tunnel and the only reason to smile amid the turmoil. Hosting an ICC tournament on our soil, after all the tragedy and heartache that we have been collectively been through since 2007 was a vindication of how far we had come as a nation in recent years. Which is why we owe it to our people to stand firm on this issue and not back down.

Why Pakistan should stand firm on the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 hosting stand-off with India?

Much to the surprise of absolutely no one, the Indian government announced last week that they will not send their cricket team to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy. While past refusals have often been accepted quietly by Pakistan, I believe this time fans have reason to hope. Pakistan is...

ppforum.pakpassion.net

 

[mominsaigol]

A good post

 

[Rana]

Chaa gaya Redwood baatain achi likhta hai

 

[sweep_shot]

Congratulations.

Well deserved.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Congratulations @RedwoodOriginal. It was a great piece with some great calculations

 

[Rajdeep]

Top stuff mate

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Great post from a top class poster.

 

[Caved12]

Great post, brother! Congratulations!

 

[Major]

Top poster, always posting quality stuff.

Love reading his posts

 

[shaz619]

Great write up, could be posted on any major platform and better then many in most cases!

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Top poster, always posting quality stuff.

Love reading his posts

Thank you bro. The feeling is mutual

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Great write up, could be posted on any major platform and better then many in most cases!

Thanks bro. Haha nahh, but appreciate it

 

[Markhor]

Superbly written. Well earned POTW.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

It's the silly season again! Three hints: India, Pakistan, tournament

For his wonderful and thought-provoking post on how/why Pakistan should stick to their guns when it comes to the issue of hosting the Champions Trophy 2025, this week's POTW award goes to @RedwoodOriginal - Congratulations!

Why Pakistan should stand firm on the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 hosting stand-off with India?

Much to the surprise of absolutely no one, the Indian government announced last week that they will not send their cricket team to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy. While past refusals have often been accepted quietly by Pakistan, I believe this time fans have reason to hope. Pakistan is...

ppforum.pakpassion.net

Thank you. Appreciate it. Here's hoping against hope that the full tournament takes place in Pakistan.

 

[TeymurBlake]

Great post mate.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Brilliant post by one of the best posters on pp.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Well-crafted post @RedwoodOriginal Congrats for the POTW. Keep shining.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Well-crafted post @RedwoodOriginal Congrats for the POTW. Keep shining.

Thanks bud