Cricket in Pakistan: Nation, Identity and Politics

This book seeks to provide unique insights into the social, cultural, and political changes that Pakistan has experienced since its birth in 1947. These changes are examined through an analysis of Pakistan cricket and its changing contours with the premise that Pakistan cricket (including the cricketers, administrators, fans, and the nature of Pakistan cricket) is a reflection of society itself and that issues such as match-fixing, religiosity, and cricketing innovation are indicative of wider societal trends in politics, religion, and corruption. Simultaneously, cricket has also affected politics, economics, and society in Pakistan. The book examines how profoundly cricket in Pakistan influences culture, politics, and society and how it is in turn influenced by the wider social and political context within which it is embedded. An analysis of cricket, therefore, allows a unique insight into wider societal trends in politics and international relations, race, religion, corruption, cultural change, and globalization.