WHAT a pity! Everything was ready. Everyone was geared up. The hype was there. The arrangements were all there. The teams were just about to leave for the National Stadium where spectators had already started to trickle in. Representatives of local and international media were taking a look at the strip and the outfield before taking their place in the media enclosure, having no inkling of the kind of reports they would be filing a little while later. They were there to report on the second Test between Pakistan and New Zealand, but, instead, they had to rush to the other end of the city, where the two teams were staying, to file reports about the cancellation of the Test, and the almost immediate departure of the touring New Zealanders. What a pity, indeed!
The blast that rocked the area around the team hotel has, for all practical purposes, rattled the very foundation of Pakistan cricket. It will take considerable time for Pakistan Cricket Board to overcome the shock itself, and then to convince the ICC and its member countries to approve and undertake another tour to Pakistan. For the time being, Pakistan is a country that has an exciting team, but no home grounds to play on. All it can do is to undertake foreign tours, and play host to other teams on neutral venues like Bangladesh, Kenya, Sharjah and, perhaps, Morocco. What a pity!
Regardless of the fact that the national team represents the most consistently inconsistent cricketing outfit in the world, Pakistan is a team feared and respected by everyone who knows anything about the game. On its day, the team can beat anyone. Even in their heyday, the West Indians never took Pakistan lightly. The same applies to the mighty Australians, who are the reigning world champions in both the Test and One day versions of the game. They are all wary of the hugely talented Pakistanis, who are also a good draw on the box office, with people coming in hordes to have a first-hand look at the competitive unit. Ironically, Pakistanis themselves appear to have been deprived of a chance to watch their heroes in action. What a pity!
First it was the mindless Indian intransigence that made cricket suffer in the region. While Pakistan never mingled sports and politics, the authorities in India went out of their way to ensure there was no cricketing ties between the two countries. Their decision to stay away from Sharjah and Toronto was a clear decision in this regard. Though they tried to make it look like a decision taken on other grounds, they were nothing but a lame excuse, a facade to cover up the actual reason behind it. Everyone knows the Indians were tired of losing to Pakistanis regardless of the playing venue. But the decision deprived the game of the unrivalled intensity that used to mark each and every contest between the two countries. In the process, Asian cricket turned out to be the biggest loser. What a pity!
And now, Pakistan cricket truely has been taken hostage by circumstances that are beyond the control and authority of Pakistan Cricket Board. For no fault of its own, the PCB now finds itself faced with a situation where it will be hard pressed to keep itself a financially viable entity. International cricket — or any international sporting activity for that matter — is as much about money-making as it is about the act of on-the-field competition. This money goes back into the sport in the shape of better facilities, incentives for the players, grooming of youngsters, and, of course, towards improving the domestic infrastructure. With no home series to host, as it appears to be the likely case at this point in time, the PCB will be deprived of its biggest source of earning. If so, all its planning for the future may well lie paralyzed for an indefinite period of time. What a pity!
WHAT a pity! Everything was ready. Everyone was geared up. The hype was there. The arrangements were all there. The teams were just about to leave for the National Stadium where spectators had already started to trickle in. Representatives of local and international media were taking a look at the strip and the outfield before taking their place in the media enclosure, having no inkling of the kind of reports they would be filing a little while later. They were there to report on the second Test between Pakistan and New Zealand, but, instead, they had to rush to the other end of the city, where the two teams were staying, to file reports about the cancellation of the Test, and the almost immediate departure of the touring New Zealanders. What a pity, indeed!
