1989-90: the increased militant activities and the Kashmir conflict were fresh skirmishes that discouraged any association between the countries. Cricket being the herald of loyalty, and by extension nationality, took the hit. The matches in 1999 couldn’t represent much of the bilateral tensions. The world cup ensured that the sentimental value of these matches was what kept the public hooked to them.

The Parliament attack of 2001, brought a two year stay in any cricket engagement between the two teams. Ceasefire violations at the borders in 2003 strained relations further. Atal Bihari Vajpayee's attempts at peace talks shot up the number of ODIs in 2004.

The attempts, however, fizzled away post the attack on the visitors during Sri Lanka’s tour of Pakistan in 2009. Security concerns, led to a ban on international matches on Pakistani Soil and the team’s home-ground was shifted to Sharjah (UAE). Only a year before, New Zealand had pulled out of a series after a suicide blast right outside their hotel.

The Pakistani team took a huge hit to its reputation in 2010. Certain members of the national cricket team were accused of match-fixing. They were convicted of accepting bribes from a bookmaker in London to deliberately underperform at set timings.