fkhan2
September 19, 2008, 3:40pm
11
You all can argue as much as you can and in the end no one probably is going to agree with the other one.
The bottom line is the some countires never wanted to tour Pakistan because the environment off the field was not according to their likings. Lets not forget the fact the playing conditions often were also not what they wanted but then thats always the choice of the home board.
Some of these countries adopted this mindset during 80’s but the problem was that they have no way of avoiding touring Pakistan. All such teams needed an excuse not to tour Pakistan, so anecdotally I guess it is safe to say that the underlying reason for teams not touring Pakistan was never the security.
Here are some comments from some well known critics on the mindset of these countries.
“If you tell a lie enough times, people will believe it to be the gospel. The decision not to play in Pakistan wasn’t really about security.”
"No, the decision to isolate Pakistan has far more to do with it not being “fun”, with the players’ every step shadowed by army commandos and police. "
“Please note that Australia and England are due to play Test matches in Bangalore and Ahmedabad, where there were serial bomb blasts not so long ago. Will they pull out of those games? Will they heck. No player with an interest in his bank account will refuse an Indian tour, leave alone complain about the arrangements. There are compensations too, in the form of multiple endorsement deals, lavish parties thrown by the likes of Vijay Mallya and plenty of attention from Bollywood starlets and models. What’s not to like?”
One of Australia’s finest cricket writers was supposed to be in Pakistan to cover the Champions Trophy, and he minced no words when I asked him what he thought of the decision. “The attitude of the players is shameful,” he told me. “When they speak off the record, they’re so f**king disrespectful of other countries. Many of them are complete xenophobes.”
SOURCE: Cricket: Champions Trophy falls victim to blinkered attitudes about Pakistan | Sport | guardian.co.uk
"Pakistan, by contrast, is regarded as India without the assets. A hot, dusty, foreign hellhole where you can’t even get a drink, for God’s sake - let alone a billion-rupee contract. "
"The perception is wrong on so many counts. Pakistan is a beautiful land whose people, forget the stereotypes, are as gentle and hospitable as it is possible to encounter. "
"The wild anger that seems to erupt among the populace with alarming and erratic frequency is triggered only by the perception of injustice - the sort of injustice that has provoked one of the Pakistan board members to denounce Australia’s cricketers as “lily-livered cowards” for agreeing to tour India in spite of the recent Delhi bombings. The double standards are as clear as day, yet impotent rage can serve no purpose but to further alienate former allies who no longer want to know. "
“Touring Pakistan has never been an easy experience. Ever since the War on Terror began in earnest, players have felt obliged to stay cocooned in gilded cages such as the Pearl Continental Hotel in Lahore, never daring to venture out for fear of what might lie beyond their prison walls.”
"International cricket will die of neglect if this pattern carries on. Zimbabwe is already a basket case; West Indies is relying on Allen Stanford to kiss it back to life. Many of Bangladesh’s senior players, who have never yet been invited on a full tour of India in spite of playing them in the country’s maiden Test in November 2000, have given up hope of ascending to the big time, and have instead sold their souls to the Indian Cricket League. Don’t be surprised if a raft of Pakistanis follow suit. The Champions Trophy may have been detested as a competition, but right now, no one feels quite as detested as its jilted host. "
Cricinfo - Players’ gain, Pakistan’s loss