Stani Army

Younis Khan has recently said that had he been caught in the line of fire as the Sri Lankan team were in the terror attack in Lahore, then he would have walked away from international cricket. Only the Sri Lankan squad and the officials who were there could know how those terrifying few moments were but would them quitting cricket solve anything?

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The Pakistan coach driver who saved the Sri Lankan team when they came under attack in Lahore has today been honoured by the Sri Lankans in Colombo. Meher Mohammad Khalil and his family were given a reward of $21,800 and a sponsored holiday.

Only Khalil and the Sri Lankan players can really appreciate what happened that day and this reward is a recognition of the heroism the driver displayed. The front of a coach is designed for clear visibility meaning Khalil was just a sitting duck at the mercy of the terrorists with nothing in front of him but a large windscreen. Yet, without fear, he sat up and drove the coach to safety, risking his own life.

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The possibility of the IPL moving offshore brings sadness and perhaps opportunity. Cricket is now so cowed by fear of terrorism that three South Asian nations have had key tournaments disrupted within weeks of the Lahore attacks. While a contest between Pakistan and Bangladesh would have struggled to set the pulse racing, the Indian Premier League managed to enthrall even the most skeptical of cricket fans. Much of that fascination was created by the passion of India’s cricket fans, the biggest losers if the tournament is relocated.

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Various views and opinions have been sought after the Lahore attack from the likes of David Morgan, Haroon Lorgat, Sharad Pawar, Justin Vaughan, Reg Dickason, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Dominic Cork, Angus Fraiser; all of them rightly showing concern for the Sri Lankan team and condemning the attacks but nobody thought of even mentioning the Pakistan people and the future of their cricket team except New Zealand’s captain Daniel Vettori.

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