Cricket: Former England captain calls for ICC to stop deliberately ‘arranging fixtures’ between India and Pakistan
Atherton criticises ICC for Ind-Pak match scheduling
Former captain of the England cricket team Michael Atherton has urged the International Cricket Council to reconsider scheduling matches between India and Pakistan during major global tournaments.
In his column for the Times, Atherton suggested that the ICC’s decisions to draw the rival nations against each other are heavily motivated by commercial gain and has called for a transparent, merit-based fixture process. He wrote:
"Despite its scarcity (maybe, in part, because of its scarcity) it is a fixture that carries huge economic clout, one of the main reasons why the broadcast rights for ICC tournaments are worth so much - roughly USD 3 billion for the most recent rights cycle 2023-27.”
Atherton’s remarks come after the recent issues seen at the 2025 Asia Cup, where the Indian team refused to shake hands with Pakistan and also refused to receive their winners' trophy or medals from PCB and ACC chief Mohsin Naqvi.
Since 2013, India and Pakistan have been drawn against each other in every ICC tournament, regardless of the format. At the 2025 Asia Cup, the teams faced off three times in total, including in the final, which was marred by controversy.
India Women refuse handshakes against Pakistan Women
The 2025 Women’s Cricket World Cup is now well into its second week, and we have already seen plenty of high-quality entertainment, with India currently second in the standings and unbeaten after two matches.
After making light work of Sri Lanka in their opening fixture, the Women in Blue faced Pakistan in their second match and romped to an 88-run victory, maintaining their perfect start to the competition - England is the only other team yet to suffer defeat.
In the lead-up to the India-Pakistan clash, the big question was whether the Indian women would shake hands with their rivals. That question was answered at the toss, with the Women in Blue following the precedent set by their male compatriots by refusing the customary pleasantries.
While it is understandable that the match in this instance had to go ahead, given the tournament format, it has added to the weight of Atherton’s argument and is something that the ICC will either need to consider or address publicly for future events.
