Unless you’ve been perpetually asleep since 1947, Pakistan’s refusal to play an upcoming T20 World Cup group match against India would come as no surprise.

Cricket between India and Pakistan has often been seen as a proxy war, and it used to be that this ‘war’ was played out on the field, with the competition between bat and ball determining victory and defeat. That was then. In recent times, even the selection of venues and itineraries has been weaponised. This is now.

You could make a convincing case that India started it, and Pakistan has finally had no option but to respond with tit for tat.

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