SO, the D-Day has arrived. Not while I am writing, as there are still a few days to go, but the World Cup would be getting under way within a few hours of these lines appearing in print on February 9. As per the schedule, South Africans, the host, would be taking on the West Indians, and I hope, as I am sure everybody else does, that it would be a fitting start to what is still the premier event in the world of cricket despite the fact that we now have a Test championship in place as well.
Unfortunately, the build-up to the event this time has not been as smooth and trouble-free as was generally the case with its previous editions. The relevant committee has still to meet and decide about the fate of the games that are originally scheduled to take place in Zimbabwe. New Zealand, on its part, has already announced that its team would skip the match that was to take place in Kenya. All this naturally has taken some gloss off the build-up.
While I regret that politics is so heavily influencing the flow of the game, I do concede that it is nothing but the sign of times that we are living in. This is a troubled world, troubled in ways more than one. And cricket, or any sport for that matter, is but a fraction of the overall scheme of things.
It is sad to see people sitting in judgment over the morality or otherwise of events taking place in other parts of the world instead of minding their own business, and without feeling ashamed of what is happening in their own backyards. All this is brazen-faced and blatant, and this is sickening. But, as I said, this is nothing but the sign of times we are living in.
Security, or rather the lack of it, is another issue that has started to crop up at an alarming pace. I, for one, believe that once a government has placed assurances on the issue, there is no justification for anyone to doubt it.
Pakistan has played in recent times in places like Zimbabwe and Kenya, and in India and Sri Lanka during phases when things were not pretty settled in those countries. Of special significance is the last tour to India which was taken up purely on the basis of assurances placed by New Delhi regarding security concerns related to Pakistani players and other members of the contingent. While there were a few odd incidents here and there, the tour went ahead and all three Test matches produced thrilling encounters of the kind that is so helpful in promoting the game around the world.
The reality is that certain teams — their governments, basically — are getting choosy even about the kind of security threat that concerns them. Hooliganism and crowd trouble, for instance, is a part of European football and rugby events, and has taken many a life in the past. But that has never stopped the flow of the game, and teams continued to travel and play to the schedule. But this kind of threat, it appears, is acceptable to them, and not of the kind that they think is there in playing in Zimbabwe and Kenya. It is a funny argument, but, then again, it is the sign of times we are living in.
Also affecting the build-up has been the spate of injuries that have marred preparations in almost all major camps. Shane Warne, Michael Bevan, Chris Cairns, Jacque Kallis, Brian Lara, Craig White, Saeed Anwar and many more are still not cent per cent fit, and we will have to wait and see how they fare as the tournament progresses. Fitness, as much as anything else, will play a vital role during the competition. For the time being, I wish you all happy watching!
SO, the D-Day has arrived. Not while I am writing, as there are still a few days to go, but the World Cup would be getting under way within a few hours of these lines appearing in print on February 9. As per the schedule, South Africans, the host, would be taking on the West Indians, and I hope, as I am sure everybody else does, that it would be a fitting start to what is still the premier event in the world of cricket despite the fact that we now have a Test championship in place as well.
