Pakistan’s Rizwan and India’s Pujara have formed a band

On Thursday, Pakistani and Indian cricketers Mohammad Rizwan and Cheteshwar Pujara played for Sussex in the English County Championship, a rare instance of Pakistani and Indian cricketers playing for the same side.

After the 2008 Mumbai bombings, which officials blamed on Pakistani militants, India severed bilateral cricket ties with Pakistan, and the teams now only face each other in multi-nation events.

Since a brief thaw in relations in 2012/13, when Pakistan toured India for a series of one-day internationals and Twenty20 matches, the South Asian rivals have not met each other in a bilateral series.

Pakistan’s players are also absent from the Indian Premier League, the world’s most prestigious Twenty20 tournament, which is now taking place in India.