With Pakistan opting to boycott a high-profile fixture against India in the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, attention has turned to an earlier instance in cricket history where geopolitics directly affected a World Cup qualifying match involving Sri Lanka.
During the 1979 ICC Trophy, which served as the qualification tournament for the 1979 Cricket World Cup, Sri Lanka did not take the field for a scheduled group match against Israel.
The decision was taken on political and diplomatic grounds, in line with Sri Lanka’s foreign policy at the time, which supported the Palestinian cause and did not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel. As a result, Sri Lanka declined to play the fixture.
Under tournament regulations, the match was recorded as a walkover, with Israel being awarded the points despite no play taking place and no ball being bowled.
Despite the forfeited match, Sri Lanka continued in the tournament, secured qualification for the 1979 Cricket World Cup, and went on to win the ICC Trophy — a major milestone in the country’s cricketing history.
Sri Lanka then followed up that triumph with an impressive performance at the 1979 Cricket World Cup, creating the tournament’s biggest upset by defeating a star-studded Indian side. The victory was historic, as it marked the first time an ICC associate member defeated a full member in a Cricket World Cup match.
The episode is often cited as an example of how international politics has, at times, intersected with cricket, influencing fixtures and tournament outcomes — a dynamic that continues to surface in global cricket today. (NewsWire)