England\u2019s new 100-ball league finds itself at a crossroads of sport and geopolitics, according to reports that suggest four Indian-owned franchises in The Hundred would deliberately avoid drafting Pakistani players. Former England skipper Michael Vaughan publicly demanded that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) investigate, lamenting that \u201cthe most inclusive sport in the country is not one that allows this to happen\u201d. More than 50 Pakistanis had entered the Hundred auction, yet in whispers, it appears those players might be frozen out purely on nationality. The ECB has officially denied evidence of any ban, pointing out that The Hundred \u201cwelcomes men\u2019s and women\u2019s players from all over the world\u201d and noting that over 1,000 cricketers from 18 countries \u2013 including more than 50 from Pakistan \u2013 have registered.
\nThis is not an isolated incident but part of a clear pattern. In fact, no Pakistani has played in the Indian Premier League since its very first season. The same dynamic has played out overseas. The new SA20 league in South Africa (all six teams owned by IPL franchise groups) fielded zero Pakistanis in its first three seasons. The UAE\u2019s ILT20 likewise has no Pakistanis after four seasons, since the two UAE teams were bought by IPL owners.
\nThat owners are treating cross-border politics as if it were part of their business model cannot be condemned enough.
\nThe hyper-politicisation of franchise sports places Pakistanis in a strange limbo. The ECB and domestic franchises have a choice: either clamp down on this informal boycott, or admit they have no power to stop it.
\nPakistan has trodden this path before. In the 1990s and 2000s, Pakistan\u2019s team could meet India only in multilateral events, and every diplomatic flare-up meant cricket ties were severed. Today\u2019s situation is a subtler form of the same divide\u2013a ban not by government fiat but by franchise owners\u2019 convenience.
\nThe issue also raises broader questions about fairness and prejudice. Would such a rule be tolerated if it targeted any other country\u2019s players? If Pakistani investors bought any Hundred franchise, would they sign Indian players, or would politics cut both ways? Those slippery slopes hint at how ownership and nationality can warp \u201cfree market\u201d ideals in sport.Pakistan travel guide
\nPakistan\u2019s players and officials should make a clear stand as well. In Britain, equality law even covers discrimination in employment and thus, one wonders if the ECB might face legal scrutiny if franchises collude on nationality.
\nIndians and others who cherish the sport should also ask why their teams shun top competitors from a historic rival. Allowing this unwritten rule to stand will only harden prejudices. The onus is on cricket\u2019s custodians (on both sides of the border) to ensure merit, not politics, decides who takes the field.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
England\u2019s new 100-ball league finds itself at a crossroads of sport and geopolitics, according to reports that suggest four Indian-owned franchises in The Hundred would deliberately avoid drafting Pakistani players. Former England skipper Michael Vaughan publicly demanded that the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) investigate, lamenting that \u201cthe most inclusive sport in the country […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-533133","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-editorial"},"yoast_head":"\n