India, Feb. 11 -- With every major tournament these days, we are reminded that cricket is a political game. Someone, somewhere, is always out to prove a point. But thankfully, the tiff between Pakistan-Bangladesh, on one side and ICC, on the other turned out to be much ado about nothing, and we can now get down to the real business of playing cricket. The ICC did well not to bow to PCB's politicisation of cricket. That's the right way to go - though it remains to be seen if it will show consistency and stand its ground if a powerhouse of cricket such as India (whose board is the richest in the world) is involved. Pakistan's off-the-field bravado at the T20 World Cup didn't last long when it realised that its stance had few backers. Bangladesh, whose cause it sought to raise with its we-will-boycott-India threat, is itself in no mood to open another front with its neighbour. Even the Jamaat-e-Islami in Dhaka has promised cordial ties with Delhi. Sri Lanka, too, wrote to Pakistan asking them to reconsider their stand. When such is the political mood, Islamabad had no reason to back PCB's grandstanding. And, most importantly, the cash-starved cricket board stood to lose money, perhaps even opportunities to host ICC tournaments in the future. ICC, on its part, needs to ensure that this drama is cut out of the sport. They have set the precedent and, now, it needs to be followed through. If they can do that, - it won't be easy - cricket will be a nicer place where conversations will centre not on off-ground politics but on-ground skill. Sport, they say, teaches life lessons and this incident is sure to have taught a few to all involved . But lessons need to be remembered for them to have any bearing on the future. Pakistan's acquiescence removes an irritant from the schedule and lifts the World Cup to what it is meant to be - a high-wire contest among the world's top cricketing nations. India-Pakistan matches remain intense and revenue-raking contests and, not surprisingly, the most keenly watched event of a cricket tournament. The gap between the two nations has been increasing in recent times, though cricket is a game where the underdog can any day cause an upset. We saw that at the recent Asia Cup. Now, over to Colombo....