Inside India and Pakistan’s explosive cricket rivalry

The TakePakistan briefly refused to play India at the Cricket World Cup. Now the high-stakes match is back on.The biggest cricket match of the Men’s T20 World Cup almost didn’t 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: Hafsa Adil (@hafsa_adil), Sports Journalist at Al Jazeera Episode credits:This episode was produced by Noor Wazwaz and Sarí 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:@AJEPodcasts on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTubePublished On 13 Feb 2026