All posts tagged: India Pakistan cricket rivalry

Neutral Colombo ready for cricket, some rain, but clarity on handshakes awaited 

Neutral Colombo ready for cricket, some rain, but clarity on handshakes awaited 

Published by Webster

Gabby Whight, the owner of Cricket Cafe, a popular watering hole in the posh Colombo 7 neighbourhood, is gearing up to welcome her regular clientele for what is expected to be a long and busy Sunday night. A short distance from R Premadasa Stadium, the venue of the eagerly anticipated India versus Pakistan T20 World Cup group-stage match, the social hotspot in the heart of Colombo is a “neutral ground” within a neutral venue for the both sides. “People from both the embassies (India and Pakistan) usually turn up here for match screenings when there is an India vs Pakistan match anywhere. We’ve watched some hard-fought matches here and the excitement has reached fever pitch. Of course, there are emotions and some banter but everything is in good spirit. I’ve not experienced a single unpleasant incident in an India vs Pakistan screening here. I like to believe the Cricket Cafe is a neutral ground,” Australia-born Whight told The Indian Express. Established in 1996, the year Arjuna Ranatunga’s Sri Lanka lifted the 50-over World Cup at …

‘Nafrat faila rahe hain’: Saqlain Mushtaq lashes out at ex-India cricketers ahead of IND vs PAK clash | Cricket News

‘Nafrat faila rahe hain’: Saqlain Mushtaq lashes out at ex-India cricketers ahead of IND vs PAK clash | Cricket News

Published by Webster

3 min readFeb 10, 2026 11:27 AM IST Ex-Pakistan cricketer Saqlain Mushtaq has accused former India cricketers of spreading hatred with their words in a withering criticism of his counterparts across the border. Saqlain’s comments came on a day when the India vs Pakistan game was back on the calendar again after many weeks of uncertainty. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) finally relented after hectic negotiations with the ICC on Monday evening and asked its cricket team to play India in Colombo on Sunday. India Pakistan Match News Live Updates “Recently, an ex-cricketer—I won’t name him because it doesn’t feel right—was asked about Pakistan talking about their integrity and respect. He replied, ‘Look, before I speak, those who have no respect to begin with, how can they talk about respect?’ I mean, use some common sense! What kind of narrow-minded things are you saying? You are an ex-cricketer. Players are supposed to be heroes and stars, and stars shine for everyone. Heroes belong to everyone. At least try to act like a hero!” Saqlain said …

India vs Pakistan: Rashid Latif says 1996 World Cup quarterfinal loss at Bengaluru was painful | Cricket News

India vs Pakistan: Rashid Latif says 1996 World Cup quarterfinal loss at Bengaluru was painful | Cricket News

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India vs Pakistan: Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif says the loss against India in the quarterfinals of the 1996 World Cup in Bengaluru still haunts him and called it one of his worst memories in his cricketing career. “The loss against India in the quarterfinals of the 1996 World Cup in Bengaluru. It still haunts me. When I returned home to Karachi, I used to wake up at night,” Latif said on Geo News show “Hasna Mana Hai.” “We lost in the 2003 ODI World Cup as well, but that loss in Bengaluru was painful. Story continues below this ad “The kind of start Aamer Sohail and Saeed Anwar gave us, we failed to capitalize on that,” he said. Batting first, India posted 187 for 8. Navjot Singh Sidhu scored a remarkable 93, but it was Ajay Jadeja’s innings that proved to be the difference. Jadeja smashed a 25-ball 45, including his onslaught against Waqar Younis, whose first eight overs had yielded 27 runs, but whose final two were smashed for 22 and 18 respectively. …

Indian government will take a call on travelling to Pakistan for Champions Trophy: Rajeev Shukla | Cricket News

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BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla on Monday said that the Indian government will take the call on whether the national team would travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy, scheduled to be played from February 19 to March 9. “No decision has been taken on it. But our policy is that for international tours, we always seek permission from the government. It’s up to the government to decide whether or not our team should go to any country,” Shukla told reporters. “Whatever the government will decide, we will abide by that,” he said, adding there is no deadline given to the BCCI by ICC to take a call on this matter. India and Pakistan only play each other in ICC events. India has not travelled to Pakistan for bilateral cricket since the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Pakistan travelled to India for the ODI World Cup last year after a gap of seven years. The BCCI vice-president said the IPL mega auction will be held towards the end of November and the decision on the venue is …