Recently the ICC, in its string of meetings, made a crucial decision and that was to move the Champions Trophy out of Pakistan. Naturally there are glum faces and the longest ones are those from Pakistan.
The ICC was accused last year of delaying the decision too long and therefore, deferring the tournament by a year to be hosted by Pakistan again. But the ICC came under flak not only for pushing the tournament further into a tight schedule but also, for making assurances when none were sure if Pakistan’s security concerns could be allayed.
Now the ICC has decided that Pakistan will not host the Champions Trophy, thought it will retain a hosting fee. The move is seen as a way to preempt further opposition to the tournament and also, not delay the decision once more. But the move is likely to hurt Pakistan after India decided not to tour earlier this year. With Australia scheduled to tour Pakistan in April, this decision which could have been prompted by foreign boards on the ICC, there are huge question marks once more.
Wasim Akram has expressed anguish at the Champions Trophy being taken out of Pakistan and worried that this was how cricket would struggle to survive in Pakistan with no international teams touring. He blamed the PCB for not being able to convince boards and teams about the safety situation in Pakistan, which he felt had considerably increased with Pakistan hosting the Asia Cup last year and recently hosting Sri Lanka in the one day international series. He wondered how the mind set could be changed.
Lieutenant General Tauqir Zia, the former PCB chairman, chose a pragmatic lien stating that Pakistan would only temporarily face a situation that alienates them from the rest of the world. But with the passage of time, the Indian government which turned against Pakistan after the terror attacks in Mumbai would come around and then, cricket which was not in direct conflict with cricket in Pakistan would resume.
Former fast bowler Safraz Nawaz blamed India squarely for Pakistan’s current situation with the international cricket hosting stating that after canceling their tour to Pakistan, India would have surely convinced the other boards not to go to Pakistan as well, an insinuation which will perhaps evoke a response. He felt the ICC was equally impotent and their only plausible move would be to “throw Pakistan out of international cricket.”
The lack of cricket in the country certainly has a few worried faces all around.408448