On to a more serious issue: the fate of the forthcoming Test series between Australia and Pakistan. Expectedly, the Aussies are frowning at the prospect of playing ball in an environment they see as threatening the security of their team.
Security is a genuine concern but sadly, when it comes to the purveyors of the First World with regard to the Third World, what you see is not always what you get. In short, the Aussies have an attitude problem that goes beyond the domain of mere security. While it is not exactly tied to the fate of their performance, it certainly reeks of double standards.
Terrorism is a worldwide phenomenon and no single country, especially in the West who like to preach countries that ironically are most affected because of it on their behalf, can guarantee complete security.
Cricket Australia (CA) is so far refusing to say clearly if it remains committed to the tour despite the Pakistani government’s assurances of state-of-head level security. Such genuflection strikes at the heart of an ordinary Pakistani’s idea of national dignity, a pandering that is misplaced and does not sit well with self-respecting nations. It is not as if our world would come crashing down if the tour did not go ahead.
What no one points out is that the same Australian team has no qualms about touring ‘white’ nations. Remember 7/7 in the Old Blighty? Even though the terrorist act took place in London and relatively close to where visiting Australians were playing, they did not have any concern save for muttering a mundane condemnation.
Yet, they have an issue coming over to Pakistan, which has no history of any kind of terrorist act aimed at sports people. An attack did take place outside the hotel where the New Zealand cricket team was staying in Karachi in 2002, leading to an immediate cancellation, but no link was ever established to the visitors in terms of the motive of the blast.
Pakistan had then, assumed a frontline role in the war-on-terror and even though Australia, which itself was part of a US-led coalition in next-door Afghanistan, it conveniently pulled its team out from a tour later that year.
In Pakistan, there is certain skepticism about the tour going ahead for cricketing, rather than non-cricketing reasons. The fact is that almost the entire current lot of the Australian team is lined up to take part in the lucrative Twenty20 inaugural season of the Indian Premier League. Unsurprisingly, Australian players like Andrew Symonds and Mathew Hayden began to express public concerns over security in Pakistan well ahead of the T20 tattle.
In short, don’t be surprised if the Australians choose a lucrative Indian summer over a testing Pakistan tour.