Lying in my bed, I was wondering what the difference was in the fact that South Africa, Australia-A and Zimbabwe had toured Pakistan in the current political climate without a hitch yet it looks increasingly likely that the Australian first team are going to decline.
Although not yet official, with the messages that have been fed to the media in dribs and drabs from both Cricket Australia and the Australian players over the last few weeks, the cancellation of their tour looks odds-on.
The effects of a political situation on a country are not something that changes over night. Is Australia ever going to be ready to tour Pakistan? If in their eyes, Pakistan is not safe now, how much safer will it be in 3-5 years? Will a team who has not played at the home of one of the major test playing nations since 1998 have the right to call itself the best?
The saddest thing is that this game of cricket has to be mixed up in the wretchedness of politics. I read an argument by an Australian fan the other day who basically said that if you can’t protect your ex-Prime Minster (Benazir Bhutto) how are you going to protect the Australian team. Well, unless Ricky Ponting is going to run for Prime Minister in the Pakistan elections then I don’t see how the two situations compare.
Cricket Australia won’t want the players to tour because they won’t want to be held responsible were the worst case scenario to occur. The players; well they won’t mind because it’ll mean that they can make a quick buck in the IPL. It’s only right that Cricket Australia should be concerned about player safety but what is the degree of risk in Pakistan and is it perceived or actual.
Let’s flip it on its head. Could Cricket Australia guarantee the safety of any team in their country more than Pakistan can of Australia visiting them? The simple answer is that they can’t. If bad people wanted to do bad things they would do them; doesn’t matter where.
There are many foreign businesses and people in Pakistan yet there is no mention of them getting by without any trouble. The Pakistan team Coach, Geoff Lawson, an Australian himself, has come out and made it clear that the situation on the ground is not as it is portrayed in the media. There is risk everywhere in the world. The fact is that when you get yourself out of bed in the morning you put yourself at risk – in which case, I better stay right where I am.
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February 20th, 2008 at 11:16 am
Great site Stani Army! I’m an England fan and a keen follower of the Barmy Army. Welcome to the online world of cricket! It’s fantastic to see that with the current climate in the cricketing world that fans out there are still backing the sport and being great ambassadors for cricket. I generally agree with your opinion but I do believe that there is a deeper more complex global issue that can only be addressed by the governing bodies, and we shouldn’t just marginalize the Australian team.
Cricket in general has been tarnished with notorious incidents dating back till the late 80’s and it seems nothing has changed (what is the ICC doing about it?!) – Your argument is valid, however there is little we the average spectator can do to change the decisions of the “authorities” that “govern” cricket. It worries me how the game of cricket has immersed into the world of politics, I mean how many other national/international sports do you see so closely linked to politics, who is to be blamed, if anyone? Is it the media? the governments of individual countries? Or dare I say it the ICC and other cricketing authorities?
It seems that cricket cannot free itself from controversy, be it on the pitch or off the pitch – In my humble opinion I think it’s now up to the ICC to get a grip of the situation. The genuine loving fans of cricket have been patient enough – it’s now up to all involved at the higher level to take action and restore the sport to its glory.
Look forward to seeing great things on Stani Army!
February 20th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
Thank you Andy!
I agree with you about the complexity of the issue at hand. I think too many boards are looking after their own interests as oppose to the interests of cricket as a whole. Then you have the ICC who are being pushed around and are trying not to step on any ones toes which doesn’t really fill me with confidence about the future.
Thanks again for your comments and do come back to contribute some more as this site was made for us – the fans.
March 12th, 2008 at 11:15 am
Great site guys..lets get the ball rolling.ps its a shame the aussies pulled out. It would have been a greatly contested series ohwell ..shame for cricket shame for world sport!