10 Things #52

Of boycotts and abandonments

1/ Looking good eh? Indian AI rather buffed us up in reporting last week’s pod on X, although Pete and I have always preferred this.

2/ It may be that the consequences of a boycott are dawning on Pakistan, with a plea from the Sri Lankan Cricket Board president Shammi Silva that extends to considering the impact on Sri Lanka’s tourist economy. Pakistan, as Shammi points out, owe Sri Lanka big time; Bangladesh, meanwhile, seem reconciled to their expulsion, as Scotland manfully fill in.

So the T20WC speedboat may yet swerve to avoid the boycott rocks a week hence. India are travelling to Colombo after their shaky first-up win against the US, Pakistan are already there after their shaky first-up win against the Netherlands. And the statement from Pakistan’s prime minister Shehbaz Sharif that he stands for the principle there should be ‘no politics on the sports field’ while simultaneously playing politics on the sports field is starting to smack of fucking for virginity. Maybe he’ll complain next about Randa Abdel-Fattah having not been invited….