The cover of Time Magazine in July 2007 screamed: ‘Pakistan – The Most Dangerous Country On Earth’. In August of that year I took up the position of coach of the most dangerous country on the planet’s national cricket team. In the following 15 months I didn’t find the team, or the country especially dangerous at all.
Occasionally disturbances occurred in the peripheries of the diverse nation, occasionally they were close to ‘home’, but I never once felt insecure or threatened. Metal detectors, body searches and supermarket guards with automatic weapons become everyday artifacts to your normal routine.
Various cricket nations, from the Caribbean to the South Pacific, led by their pampered millionaires felt the disinclination to visit Pakistan to play their obsessional game or entertain the populous of the 6th largest nation in the world.
When the Indian Premier league (and its illegitimate cousin, the ICL) offered huge salaries and slim dancing girls, the players ignored the bomb blasts in Bangalore, or the multiple explosions in the public markets of Jaipur or Ahmedabad or the public disturbances in Delhi and western Bengal.
Cricket Australia chose to take multimillions of US dollars for a hastily arranged Test and one day series in India that had not been any part of the future tours program ordained by the ruling body, the ICC.
The players found points of difference to their boycott of the tour and Champions Trophy in Pakistan. Cricket Australia and those very same players were widely accused of hypocrisy. Volumes of money being the catalyst for decision making, rather than empathy and duty.
Now we have the Mumbai ‘9/11’. Heinous, deadly, evil, irrational. Nothing particularly unusual in central Asia, Iraq, Afghanistan. Despite the blinkered views of westerners only one similar and much smaller incident ever happened in Pakistan, that being the Marriott blast which supposedly targeted the President and was the mission of a single person with a truck load of explosives.
This week’s attack has forced Cricket Australia and its partners in India to ‘postpone’ the new conceptual ‘Champions League’. Yep, that’s right POSTPONE!
Australians, and I mean Australian civilians who just happened to be in 5 star international hotels, have never been killed in Pakistan, they now have been in India. The money offered to the domestic cricket teams who were to participate in the Champions League was big, nay HUGE. What is the cost in dollar terms of risk taking in the sub-continent for cricket players?
There is no doubt that in the short term, say 6-9 months, the international cricket future tours calendar will be altered to accommodate the Champions League.
There is simply too much money at stake. Test matches will be postponed or cancelled for the new golden egg to be laid.
Lets see how the Indian Premier League scheduled for next April is effected by the Mumbai attacks.
Will players be reluctant to turn up for their hundreds of thousands? Hypocrisy will most likely win the day.
eric
Guest
Fair go Peter. Your glee at this tragedy is disgusting. Lawson's original article has validity. And to say he has no idea about the subject, despite living there, is ridiculous. It seems you don't like the bloke, but give him some credit for what he has done here as a cricketer and coach, and for sticking his neck out to accept the Pakistan coaching job. What else was Geoff Lawson to say in his position? Do you believe Kevin Rudd when he tells you how well they're handling the recession? Do you believe John Howard about the righteousness of the war in Iraq? So, why pillory Lawson? If as you say, you want protection from Geoff Lawson, why did you read his article? In my opinion, CA would insist on far better security than what was afforded the poor Sri Lankans apparently, so maybe this could not have happened. Surely the ICC has a role here to check security for all international cricketers.
Peter Mullins
Guest
Well, well, well, doesn't Geoff Lawson look more naive as ever. The once coach of Pakistan could not see what all the fuss was about with cricketing authorities anxious about touring Pakistan. Whilst here in Australia last year with an Australian tour pending (but in doubt) Geoff was extolling the virtues of this cricketing loving nation from the circles within which he moved. He had then, and still has, no idea of what he was talking about! Please protect us from commentary from this silly man.
eric
Guest
Great article Henry. Much more readable than your namesake I reckon! I also feel embarrassed we have let Pakistan down, but Davo makes one good point saying that we should wait and see what the cricketers do before accusing them of hypocrasy. But I suspect you're right. The answer is to pick more Wagga blokes in the Test team!
davo
Guest
Well its not hypocritcal unless Oz or someone else goes and tours India immediately. Is that happening? I also fail to see how it matters what happens in another country... each country should be looked at individually. As to Pakistan not being dangerous... what a load of bollocks. (And yes I have lived there for 18 months) Pakistan should look at the way they have played cricket on and off the field in the last five years if they want to find the underlying truth as to why no-one wants to visit.
0nside
Guest
Wickets of mass destruction
Mick of Newie
Guest
And the ICC are encouraging Engand to resume their tour of India and pressure is coming on to reschedule the Aust v SA tests to accomodate the 20/20 tournament. This all reminds me of the joke about the man offerring a $1M to sleep with a woman. After she says yes he offers her $1000. She says "What do you think I am?". He says "We have already established that, we are now just negotiating the price."
The Link
Guest
Onya Henry, fantastic article. I would think that one of the points of international sport is to bring countries and people together through gaining a better understanding of each other. Sadly with Australia and Pakistan its like the last 56 years of Test Cricket have counted for nothing.
Pippinu
Roar Guru
Articles like this are very important in showing what a blinkered, biased, narrow-minded view of the world we have - well done.
Michael C
Guest
The simple fact that when bombs went off around London amid an Ashes tour, Australia held 'tight' with the mother country - - - when in any other country we would imagine the Aussie team on the first flight home. Hypocrisy is nothing new. I assume we feel that international politics is influencing cricket administration, but, we know that, and the influence of India around Zimbabwe is well enough documented. Is India too, influencing attitudes around Pakistan?