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India Vs Pakistan And...? Nations That Can't Play Bilateral Series Citing Politics And Territory

Abhinav Tyagi

INDvsPak -(Source:@Johns/X.com)INDvsPak -(Source:@Johns/X.com)

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Cricket is a gentlemen's sport, and the game is still expanding with every passing event. At present, the International Cricket Council (ICC), which was founded in 1909, has 12 full members and 96 associate nations that play cricket. 

Often, cricket is associated with the usual 6-8 teams featuring heavyweights like India, Australia, and England, but in reality, 108 nations are playing cricket. However, there are a few nations that can't play bilateral series because of several reasons, and this article will shed light on that. 

1. India vs Pakistan

India and Pakistan are two heavyweights and the best teams in cricket. They share a rich history and have played several bilateral series, the first one in 1952. However, the two teams have not locked horns in a bilateral series since 2012-13. 

Due to the security threats and repeated attacks, the central government of India decided to ban the Indo-Pak bilateral series. The geo-political tensions refuse to die down and it looks unlikely that the two teams will lock horns in a bilateral series in the near future. The only time they lock horns is during ICC events.

2. Australia vs Afghanistan

Afghanistan attained full-member status in 2017 and they dealt a heavy blow in 2021 when the Taliban took power and toppled the government in the country. Following the take-over, they have imposed several restrictions on women's rights and freedom that has not gone well with Cricket Australia. 

The two teams were set to lock horns in a bilateral series in 2023, but CA cancelled it, citing the impositions made on women's rights in Afghanistan. They again cancelled a series scheduled for August this year, with the same reason. The CA chief has made it clear that there will be no bilateral series with Afghanistan till the ban on women's cricket.

3. Spain vs Gibraltar

Spain, who are ranked 29th in the ICC T20I rankings, have been an associate nation since 2017. They played their first T20I in 2019 and are doing their best to improve their rankings. 

Meanwhile, they can't play against Gibraltar, who are ranked 73rd on the T20I rankings. Notably, Gibraltar, which is situated in the north of Spain, recognises itself as an independent nation and so do ICC and other sporting organisations such as FIFA. 

However, Spain disagree with their independent status and playing against them would mean them recognising Gibraltar's independence. Thus, Spain does not lock horns against Gibraltar as it does not recognise them as a state or country and consider them as a part of their territory. 

4. Kosovo vs Serbia

Similar to Spain vs Gibraltar, Kosovo and Serbia too can't play against each other because of territorial issues. Serbia, who are ranked 87th on the ICC T20I rankings, does not recognise Kosovo as an independent nation and avoids playing against them in any sport. 

Lucky for them, Kosovo is yet to receive associate member recognition by ICC, but they do have a cricket team. The day ICC recognise Kosovo and grants them T20I status, the two teams will not lock horns against each other on the cricketing field.