London – Alleging that draws have been “neatly arranged” to ensure India-Pakistan clashes in ICC tournaments for “economic needs”, former England captain Michael Atherton has called for a complete halt to cricket between the two bitter rivals as sport has become a “proxy for broader tensions and propaganda”.

In a scathing column for ‘The Times’, Atherton cited the recent “antics” at the Asia Cup where the Indian team refused to shake hands with Pakistani players and the Asian Cricket Council’s Pakistani head Mohsin Naqvi walked away with the winner’s trophy after the Indians refused to accept it from him.

“India and Pakistan have played each other in the group stage of every ICC event since 2013, which includes three 50-over World Cups, five T20 World Cups and three Champions Trophy,” A

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