3 Reasons Why There Are No Pakistan Cricketers in Wimbledon Royal Box

The presence of Indian cricketers in Wimbledon Royal Box has been all over the social media currently. The Wimbledon, which is known to host some of the most succcessful athletes of all time, saw the presence of Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and Shubman Gill.

All of the above mentioned players are amongst the most famous cricketers in the world with a huge fan following. However, some of the Pakistani fans are wondering why no cricketer from their country is present in this Royal Box.

The absence of Pakistan cricketers in Wimlebdon is a strange thing given that some of them have a big fan following as well. Players like Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar might be well known but are yet to attend a Wimbledon match from the Royal Box.

Why There Are No Pakistani Cricketers in Wimbledon Royal Box?

1. Strict invitation - The Wimbledon Royal Box tickets cannot be purchased. The Wimbledon Royal Box guests have been there are through invitations extended by the All England Lawn Tennis Club, which manages the Wimbledon tournament.

Historically, Pakistan have had rare commercial ties with this club as compared to cricket stars from India or Australia. This could be the reason why we don't see any Pakistan cricketers in Wimbledon.

2. Pakistan's low interest in tennis - Pakistan might be among the best cricket teams in the world but their interest in the sport of tennis remains limited as compared to India, who have produced some of the legendary players over the years.

India's doubles players are often contenders for a podium finish despite the lack of any star in singles. On the other hand, Pakistan have very limited influence in the world of tennis with Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi being the only renowned name. This could be the reason of the absence of Pakistani celebrities in Wimbledon.

3. Broadcaster and commercial influence - The Wimbledon Royal Box features those players who have a high networking and global influence. With Indian cricketers known for their popularity in South Asia, which is a hub of cricket, they are regularly invited in a tournament as big as Wimbledon.

At the moment, Pakistan are behind in this aspect as they have limited reach. Adding to it, some of the best Pakistani cricketers have been associated with unwanted scandals like match-fixing and ball-tampering, which often degrades their reputation.

Over the years, the cricketers from India, England and Australia have been constantly attending Wimbledon from the Royal Box. This time, West Indies legendary batter Brian Lara, orginally from Trinidad and Tobago, was also present during the semi-final clash.