Presidential dialogue settles cricketing stalemate-BY TREVINE RODRIGO IN MELBOURNE. (eLanka Sports Editor)
Timely intervention by Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has diffused tensions between India and Pakistan and the standoff in their T20 World Cup is back on.
Reports have confirmed that President Dissanayake reached out to his counterpart in Pakistan C.M Shehbaz via a telephone conversation regarding the refusal by Pakistan to play India in their group stage game in Colombo.
Pakistan were responding in support of Bangladesh in the disagreement between India and Bangladesh where the Bangladeshis requested that their games be moved out of India to co-host Sri Lanka. The request was denied by the ICC.
The cancellation of the game would have had catastrophic implications on host nation Sri Lanka revenuewise after all the planning and associated expenses in what will be a sell-out crowd.
Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was alerted to the situation and sprang into negotiations with the Pakistan President and Cricket authorities of the PCB and were successful in ironing out the issues threatening the encounter.
It was a rare event where political dialogue was able to pour water on a heated situation between that has been simmering in the subcontinent.
In an open letter to the Pakistan President Sri Lanka’s President said,
“Thank you Prime Minister C.M. Shehbaz for ensuring the game we all love goes on. Delighted that the eagerly awaited India and Pakistan match at the ongoing T20 Cricket World Cup in Colombo will proceed as planned.
As co-host of the tournament, Sri Lanka thanks the ICC and all concerned for their efforts. Sri Lanka hasn’t forgotten the solidarity shown by both India and Pakistan during the 1996 World Cup, when they played in Colombo at a time when others refused to play in Sri Lanka amidst security fears.”
