Aug 22 2009
Terrorized!
Cricket is a priority in the sub-continent; actually it is more than that. It is the way of everyday life. But then if life only comes to a standstill, sport then takes a backseat. The events of 27th November 2008 in Mumbai have left a scar on the minds of the people of this country, so much so, that for the first time in living memory, the game of cricket was off the radars of India’s collective minds.
Amidst this backdrop, it was a no-brainer situation that the visitors, England would leave the country immediately, not to return probably. Many would say that since they were trailing 5-0 in the ODIs, it helped them make their decision. But these are petty issues in wake of human lives being lost. Therefore, at that time, when the siege at the Taj and Oberoi hotels had just begun, nobody in this part of the world held any grudges as a few scared cricketers chose to fly home. Or even when some other ones decided to return from half way - Shane Warne taking a u-turn from Singapore - as the Champions League T20 was postponed as well.
At the time of writing, the English team had resumed their tour of India, albeit on a changed schedule, and was already playing the first test at Chennai. Many allege that the riches of the IPL pulled them back for many amongst them have expressed a desire to be part of the second edition. But let us make one thing very clear. The market value of players like Kevin Pieterson and Andrew Flintoff wouldn’t have diminished at all, had they chosen to stay at home. Rather, by coming back, they may just have saved the second edition of the IPL itself.
For India do not play a home series for quite some time in 2009, and the only cricket carnival scheduled first is the T20 league. And the return of England for the test series only means that the world will indeed turn up when the league begins in April. For by landing again on these shores, Pieterson and his men have made sure that a strong message goes out to the perpetrators of violence, that humanity will not be held ransom to their threats, that life will find a way yet again and that sport will provide the healing touch as always.
But again, make no mistake, terror is a threat, rather it is as much a reality in our lives today, as cricket or any other sport for that matter. However, the one point that is blinding the judgment of many of the sports’ governing bodies is the view that there is only the sub-continent that is suffering from the same.
Yes, terror is a reality but no, it is only confined to the realms of the Indian sub-continent. It is as much a possibility in any part of the world, be it Australia, England or South Africa, as much as it is a certainty in India, Pakistan or Sri Lanka. That is the sad truth and it is time that the men in power in these great cricketing nations wake up to the same and do something about it.
Pertaining to the same, some important resolutions and even decisions need to be made and the focus ought to shift from just India and Pakistan, instead bringing world cricket into the spotlight. For a common enemy faces all of us.
In 1996, terror and violence first caused disruption during the Wills world cup when Australia and West Indies refused to play their matches in Sri Lanka, forfeiting their points. Since then, the saga of tours being impeded by one or the other cause has run long; that even a rumour of a blast gets the visiting teams on their toes. Trips to Sri Lanka have been called off mid way, by South Africa, and Pakistan has been the worst hit. More than ten tours have been called off to that country since the ‘96 world cup - that is an average of almost a series a year. So much so, that Pakistan haven’t played a single test match in the calendar year 2008.
It is not that Pakistan cannot take care of its visitors. Most of the times, whenever a trip has been cancelled by one of the teams - predominantly Australia - some or the other team - predominantly from the sub-continent - has duly filled up their place, and gone on to play a safe and sound series. The recent case in mind is when earlier this year, the Aussies yet again called off their Pakistan tour and only weeks later, the Asia Cup passed off without any trouble.
What is striking is that at the same time, the Aussie players came to India and played the IPL. And when there were blasts in Jaipur during that tournament, they still went ahead and played out all the remaining matches. In a world scenario, where relationships between two countries are built on a razor’s edge, this dual theory has no place for consideration.
PCB chief Ejaz Butt has warned that the day is not far when the cricketing world will be split by this dual approach of the ‘Western’ cricketing powers that be and he is not wrong. How long can Pakistan wait before a team from outside the subcontinent finally lands in their country? More than that, reeling under continuous cancellations, how long before the PCB’s patience runs out and they stop their own team from visiting either Australia or England? Even though at this point in time, that moment seems a bit far off, the pot of impatience only fills up slowly, but steadily and the day that pot overflows, the world of cricket will see its biggest crisis yet.
The underlying point is simple. Money is important for the players but not more than the game. Just because India can provide the riches doesn’t mean that Pakistan is a pauper. The people on the other side of the border are equally passionate and therefore, it is imperative that they seem some good cricketing action in their country.
So far the case has been made for teams to tour Pakistan. But a major obstacle that goes against them, money not being the same, is that player safety is of utmost concern to people who govern cricket today. And it should be so. Although money is not what should govern the decision as to whether a particular place or country is safe enough for players or not, in the end, player safety is what will keep this game going, atleast in the sub continent.
And this very same topic shifts the focus back to the events in Mumbai. The Champions League T20 was three days away from inauguration and the various teams were just about to descend on the city. What’s more is that they were to stay at Taj. It is a very luck coincidence for the game of cricket in India that the terrorists chose to strike twenty four hours earlier than the time that any of the teams were scheduled to arrive. Although many people died, there was not a single cricketer amongst them and the BCCI can thank their guardian angel for the same.
It will be very prudish of one to say that it was good for the game. No, it wasn’t, for many innocent people lost their lives. But try and fathom the point that is being made. Had even one player lost his life, or been held hostage by those mad men, the image of the game in India would have been tarnished forever. This would have been tagged a country where a player lost his life, something a cricketer’s job doesn’t encompass.
For a moment, try and think of the Munich Olympic Games in 1972, when Israeli athletes were gunned down in an act of equally dastardly measure. It is a fact that Germany has never been able to recover fully from the same and that hosting another Games is a mirage that they are still chasing.
The fact that some of the players probably would not have escaped with their lives had they been caught in the cross fires at Mumbai, also brings about another debate to rest. Pakistan has forever maintained that the violence in that country is always targeted at civilian or political outposts, and that no such act has been committed towards any athlete. In this case, the same wouldn’t have held true for Mumbai and therefore it is important to understand that players, cricketers or any other, are very much a target for these ‘no-state men’ as they have been called.
Therefore, Pakistan will remain to be a doubt for sometime to come and India’s decision not to tour that country only re-affirms the same. For long, India had been the prime supporter of its neighboring cricket state and thus this refusal will come as a big blow to the PCB’s aspirations. If things do not improve, Pakistan cricket will be stuck up for a long time to come.
Enough about Pakistan already, for India too is now in grave danger to be sidelined. Maybe with England coming back and the muscle power of the BCCI, we will not see any cancellation of tours altogether, but circumspection will always be there. The Indian Board cannot go about arm twisting in this matter atleast nor can any country really neglect India and its cricketing prowess. So how does one decide whether a country is safe enough to play cricket or not?
The answer is Reg Dickason. Yes, he is ECB’s security advisor and he is the sole man responsible for convincing a full strength England squad to come back. But there’s more. He was also the man who collectively advised Australia, South Africa and England on the security situation in Pakistan prior to the Champions Trophy, and advised those teams against going for the same.
The point here is simple, really. This one man could alter the opinion of the cricketing boards in question, as to whether a particular country, city or even stadium is safe enough for their players to be sent for playing a game of cricket. And there in lies the solution to this whole conundrum. The ICC should appoint one security committee, a centralized one acceptable to all its member bodies which would analyze the security arrangements in any particular country. Should doubts arise pertaining to the same, then the recommendations of the same committee would be seen as guidelines as well as references for any future tours.
So if the committee says Pakistan is safe enough for Australia to tour, then Australia have to tour. Otherwise they pay a hefty fine or Pakistan don’t make the return trip!
Either way, the ICC gets a hold on the proceedings regarding security of the players and the game of cricket doesn’t suffer for long. This is indeed a way to beat terror!
