It has been reported on TV that Bangladesh’s cricket team’s coach Stuart Law, who is of Australian origin, has declined to tour Pakistan with the Bangladesh cricket team, for its impending tour being scheduled next month. This news, if correct, raises many questions with serious ramifications for the cricketing world.
However, before dwelling in the consequences of the above mentioned news, the following facts should also be kept in mind, to have a better prospect of the whole issue.
Newly appointed coach of Pakistan cricket team Dave Whatmore is also a former Australian Test and international cricket player, who had no qualms ever for staying in Pakistan. In fact, he was one of the coaching candidates for the Pakistani cricket team, when another very famous former Australian international cricketer Lawson, was selected as coach for Pakistan. We understand that when he was removed to appoint Waqar Younis, Lawson never himself wanted to quit the job. And Lawson stayed in Pakistan (and also wanted to stay further) during much worse war conditions in Afghanistan and it’s spill-over impact of very serious law and order conditions then prevailing in Pakistan.
To say that Stuart Law is taking refuge under travel advisory of Australian government is also a very weak argument, which does not hold water as many Australian professionals are continuing to visit Pakistan and they even stay here for longer durations, without any fear of violence. As compared to this situation, we hear very regular news of violence against Asian migrants in Australia, but then again nobody stays away from travelling there.
One isolated incidence against the Sri Lankan cricket team can’t be made an excuse to stop international cricket in Pakistan forever. No foreign team ever stopped visiting Sri Lanka during its 25 years civil war, where matches continued even during bombings and explosions. Also no one stopped visiting New York or USA after 9/11. Pakistani players were once mugged in South Africa. One off incidents or accidents happen everywhere, so why to single out only Pakistan? People don’t stop air travels, just because airplanes do meet accidents every now and then.
Now, if today Bangladesh Cricket Board succumbs to the blackmail tactics of their coach or support staff, this matter will not stop here. Indiscipline and blackmail if not nibbed in the bud, spreads like cancer. Tomorrow, other boards should be ready to face much worse pressures for even more ridiculous demands. This situation may even force the boards to consider putting new clauses of conditions in the agreements, to safeguard their national interests with ironclad wordings.
Above all, the planned tour of the Bangladesh cricket team shall be arranged after clearance of double security checks by the BD government and the ICC, with security cover equal to the head of the state. Believe me, this security may not even be available to Stuart Law, neither in BD nor anywhere else in the world. And the planned tour is going to be over in just few days with only three matches, it will not last for weeks.
Last but not the least, this tour will tremendously help the cause of cricket in this part of the world. It will also prove the resolve of the world that terrorism threat can’t hold for ransom the game of international cricket in Pakistan. In fact, this epoch making tour will highly contribute to the cause of peace in the world. These people must not forget that Pakistan stood like a rock before the terrorists, for more than a decade, so that this menace does not spread to any other parts of the world. And many Australian troops also gave their lives in Afghanistan for the same cause. So today if with the decision of an ill informed Australian, the terrorists gain strength, it will be a great betrayal with the cause for which the Australian troops shed their blood.
So come on Bangladesh, let us give peace a chance through cricket and let the posterity record that Bangladesh was the first great nation which revived international cricket in Pakistan.
SYED NAYYAR UDDIN AHMAD
Lahore