Asia Cup hockey under cloud after Pahalgam terror attack
The men's hockey Asia Cup, a 2026 FIH World Cup qualifier, is under cloud as Pakistan's participation in the tournament, to be held in Bihar, is uncertain following the Pahalgam terror attacks. Earlier this month, Hockey India had confirmed that Pakistan would travel across the border for the continental championship along with South Korea, Malaysia, China and Japan.
However, in the aftermath of the terror attack, which claimed 26 lives and injured many more, the Indian government on Thursday ordered Pakistani nationals to leave the country and revoked visas. The move puts a question mark on Pakistan's presence at the Asia Cup, which is set to be held in Rajgir, Bihar, from August 29 to September 7.
Asked if the matches involving Pakistan will be played at a neutral venue or whether they will be permitted to compete, a Hockey India source said they will 'wait and see how the situation evolves over the next few months'. 'It is too early for us to take any call. But one thing is clear, we will follow the government's policy, whatever it may be,' the source said.
The Asia Cup assumes high significance as it is a World Cup qualifier, with the winner earning a direct spot for next year's mega-event that will be co-hosted by the Netherlands and Belgium.
India and Pakistan are seeking their fourth continental title, with South Korea — also the defending champions — winning the competition five times, more than any other country.
Not just the Asia Cup, Pakistan's under-23 team is also scheduled to compete in the FIH Junior World Cup, which will be held in Chennai and Madurai towards the end of the year.
It isn't uncommon for Pakistan's hockey team to travel to India for tournaments. In the last decade alone, the Green Shirts have made the trip across the border three times — for the 2014 Champions Trophy, 2018 World Cup and 2021 Junior World Cup.
In 2023, Pakistan's football team played the South Asian Championship in India whereas India's tennis players made the trip to Islamabad last year for the Davis Cup.
The frequent tours undertaken by teams from both countries are unlike the situation in cricket, where India and Pakistan have agreed to play matches involving them at neutral venues in ICC events held in either country.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
28 minutes ago
- India.com
WTC 2025 final: Despite finishing third, Team India get Rs…, Pakistan get only…
For the first time in WTC history, India may not be in the final, but they'll still walk away with a hefty prize for securing third place on the points table. The much-awaited Final of World Test Championship is being played between South Africa and Australia at Lord, London, started on June 11. The ICC has declared that the WTC 2023-25 cycle will have a record prize pool. Such a huge growth highlights the relevance of Test cricket in the international scene. An enormous exaggeration to the benefit of participating countries. India is not featuring in the WTC final first time. Having got to the final in the last two editions, they were third this time. It was a miserable exit to their tournament. The champion of the WTC 2023-25 will pocket a massive USD 3.6 million! The second place will win USD 2.16 million. Prize money which is a tremendous jump over the last cycle. After finishing as runners-up in both previous World Test Championship cycles—losing to New Zealand in 2021 and Australia in 2023—India missed out on the WTC 2025 Final for the first time in history. Despite the disappointment, the Men in Blue still secured third place, earning a record USD 1.44 million (Rs 12.30 crore). It is the first in the history of the WTC that teams that fail to make the top half of the table are earning hefty paychecks. Sri Lanka, the sixth placed team, will receive USD 840,000 with Bangladesh, the seventh placed side, pocketing USD 720,000. West Indies earned USD 600,000 as eighth placed team and even Pakistan, which ended up at the ninth position, will not go home without any cash in hand, as the team pocketed USD 480,000.
India.com
28 minutes ago
- India.com
Pakistan to suffer again, PSL 2026 to clash with IPL 2026 due to...
In these collection of pictures, we find out the reason why PSL 2026 season will once again clash with the IPL 2026 season next year. IPL 2025 season clashed with PSL 2025 this year since the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 was scheduled in Pakistan's T20 league window. Pakistan cricket board struggled to bring foreign players for PSL 2025 since most of top players were taking part in IPL 2025. Some players quit PSL 2025 mid-way to take part in IPL 2025. Image credit: X (Formerly Twitter) PSL 2026 is also scheduled to clash with IPL 2026 next year since the ICC have scheduled T20 World Cup 2026 in India in February-March next year. Image credit: X (Formerly Twitter) PSL 2026 will have to be held in April-May window because PCB have already given NOC to players to take part in BBL 2025-26 in December-January. ICC T20 World Cup 2026 is scheduled to take place in India and will probably be held with a 'hybrid' model with Pakistan's matches taking place outside India. Image credit: X (Formerly Twitter) Shaheen Afridi's Lahore Qalandars became PSL 2025 champions last month with a win over Quetta Gladiators. "There is a window available to the Pakistan board in December and first half of January but it has already given NOCs to Pakistani players to play in the Big Bash in Australia in this period and has also planned some domestic activities. So the discussion now with the franchise owners is to prepare for the PSL to be held in April-May just like this year," a PCB source was quoted as saying by PTI.
India Today
32 minutes ago
- India Today
Steve Smith goes past Sachin Tendulkar in elite list after gutsy fifty in WTC Final
Star Australia batter Steve Smith went past legendary India batter Sachin Tendulkar after his brilliant half-century on Day 1 of the World Test Championship (WTC) final 2025 against South Africa at Lord's, London. Smith played a gutsy innings of 66 (112) to rescue Australia from an early collapse and helped them reach 212 in their first was the second successive fifty-plus score for Smith in the WTC final after he scored a match-winning century in the last final played in 2023 against India. The Australia batter also registered his seventh fifty-plus score in the knockout stages of the ICC tournaments, and left Sachin Tendulkar in the list, who has six fifty-plus scores to his name in ICC now has the second-most fifty-plus scores in ICC knockouts after Virat Kohli, who comfortably sits at the top of the list with 11 such scores. In 13 knockout matches played in his career so far, Smith scored 650 runs at an average of 59.09 with two fifties and five half centuries. During the course of his innings, Smith also left behind Australia's Warren Bardsley (575 runs) to register most Test runs by a visiting batter at Lord's. Smith has now accumulated 591 runs at the iconic Lord's from ten innings at an average of 59.10 with two hundreds and three fifties to his highest score at the venue came during the 2015 Ashes, when he scored a magnificent 215 during the second Test. His second century at the venue came during the 2023 Ashes in another Smith forged a crucial 79-run stand with Beau Webster (72 off 92) to bail Australia out of trouble on Day 1 of the WTC Final against South Africa. The duo came together at the crease at the score of 67/4 and their stand was finally broken when Smith edged Aiden Markram to Marco Jansen at first his dismissal, Webster carried the innings ahead and helped the team reach 212. Later in the day, Australia got off to a terrific start with the ball as well, as Mitchell Starc (2/10) wreaked havoc on South Africa. They finished the day reeling at 43/4 with Temba Bavuma (3*) and David Bedingham (8*) at the crease.
