India, Feb. 4 -- The row over ICC "dispensations" has found a new voice - and a familiar target - with former England batter Mark Butcher arguing the game's biggest rivalry has quietly become a boardroom guarantee rather than a draw from the hat.

Speaking on Stick to Cricket, Butcher said the ICC Men's T20 World Cup storm around Pakistan's refusal to play India isn't just politics. It's a fight over who bends, who benefits, and who gets forced to adjust when the calendar is rewritten for one fixture.

Butcher's broader point is that while India and Pakistan no longer play bilaterals, they keep landing together in global events for one reason: money.

"Historically India and Pakistan don't play each other on a bilateral basis anymore. how...