It is disappointing to see the Indian cricket establishment and sections of its media fandom once again injecting political hostility into the world of sports. The recent backlash against commentator Sana Mir follows the continued refusal of Indian cricketers to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts, or even with ACC Chairman Mohsin Naqvi. Despite substantial criticism of the Indian team and its cricketing administrators for players’ behaviour during the Asia Cup, this week’s ‘scandal’ was almost farcical.
The controversy surrounding Mir’s commentary is a textbook example of blowing a non-issue out of proportion. While describing player Natalia Pervaiz’s background, Mir mentioned that she “comes from Kashmir”, before clarifying “Azad Kashmir”. Mir later said she was not looking to stoke any controversy and simply wanted to highlight the player’s journey and the challenges she faced. Mir also said she was using the player’s page on ESPN Cricinfo for her stats, including her birthplace.
The haste with which ESPN Cricinfo changed Azad Kashmir to Pakistan-administered Kashmir is also a reflection of the outsized influence of India not just on the sport, but on coverage of the sport as well. The term itself should not be a problem. Many international news outlets reject both Pakistan’s and India’s chosen names for areas considered part of the Kashmir dispute.
The problem is that pages for Natalia Pervaiz and other AJK-born players referred to the region as AJK for decades without incident. It was only when some loudmouth nationalists raised a fuss on social media that a change was made. If the website does not either revert the change or quickly update references to Indian-Occupied Kashmir to Jammu and Kashmir state, the PCB should consider withdrawing the website’s press credentials and other coverage permissions.
Meanwhile, Indian sports administrators should either grow a spine and refuse to play Pakistan if they are so offended by our players’ presence, or admit they are just putting on a show, because in reality, they value tournament revenue over national pride.
