The Take: Inside India and Pakistan’s explosive cricket rivalry
Pakistan briefly refused to play India at the Cricket World Cup. Now the high-stakes match is back on.
![Pakistan's Salman Mirza prepares to deliver a ball during the 2026 ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup group stage match between Pakistan and Netherlands at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Ground in Colombo on February 7, 2026. [Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP]](/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/AFP__20260207__96GU6RH__v1__HighRes__CricketIccMensT20Wc2026PakNed-1771010389.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80)
The biggest cricket match of the Men’s T20 World Cup almost did not happen. Pakistan said it would not play India, sending shockwaves through the sport and triggering urgent talks between officials and governments. After days of tense negotiations, the standoff ended, and the rivals are set to meet on Sunday. What changed, and what will it mean when they take the field?
In this episode:
Recommended Stories
list of 3 items- list 1 of 3The Take: Jeffrey Epstein’s ‘one single cause’: Israel
- list 2 of 3The Take: Bangladesh’s election tests the power of Gen Z
- list 3 of 3The Take: How deep do Epstein’s ties to Britain’s elite go?
- Hafsa Adil (@hafsa_adil), Sport journalist at Al Jazeera
Episode credits:
This episode was produced by Noor Wazwaz and Sari el-Khalili, with Spencer Cline, Melanie Marich, Chloe K Li, Maya Hamadeh, Tuleen Barakat, and our host, Malika Bilal. It was edited by Tamara Khandaker.
Our sound designer is Alex Roldan. Our video editors are Hisham Abu Salah and Mohannad al-Melhemm. Alexandra Locke is The Take’s executive producer. Ney Alvarez is Al Jazeera’s head of audio.
Connect with us:
