Pakistan cricket

The Asian Games offer a preview of what could soon be coming to the Olympics. That’s surely the case with cricket.

India is hosting the event, but Pakistan is demanding that its games be played at a neutral site.

With the country facing an economic and political crisis, plus a resurgence of terrorism, the Pakistan Super League offers the public a much-needed respite.

Cricket-playing countries have been reluctant to play in Pakistan since a 2009 attack on a visiting team's bus. But the game must go on.

From the India-Pakistan match to Afghanistan’s run and even New Zealand-Pakistan tensions, the T20 World Cup has been brimming with geopolitical implications.

No Pakistani official has admitted to concerns emerging from the deteriorating security situation in Pakistan and the region.

New Zealand Cricket called off its first match in Pakistan in 18 years, even though Pakistan’s government insisted that “no security threat of any kind exists.”

It’s another step forward for Pakistani cricket, as security concerns previously prevented the country from hosting international matches.

Cricket matches are used as ice breakers and political signalling in the complex India-Pakistan relationship.

The enthusiasm for the return of cricket to Pakistan can be harnessed to improve the country's future.

The decision defies all logic and only demonstrates how unsafe Pakistan continues to be.