No shock in Australia's decision on Pakistan
Peter Roebuck writes in the Sydney Morning Herald the withdrawal of the Australians from the trip to Pakistan is not a surprise.
Peter English
25-Feb-2013
Peter Roebuck writes in the Sydney Morning Herald the withdrawal of the Australians from the trip to Pakistan is not a surprise.
Truth to tell it would not have been much of a tour. Already the trip had been curtailed, with two Test matches and five ODIs replacing the full program. Every player was to be given a personal guard and asked to remain inside luxurious hotels. Every spectator was to be searched umpteen times by soldiers and policemen. It is not much of a way to play any sport. And local fans hardly flock to Test matches in the best of times.
In the Australian Malcolm Conn says the cancellation of the tour may lead to Cricket Australia staging a short one-day series. If that happens the players signed to the Indian Premier League will be staying at home.
It is unlikely that the coaching staff will want their best players involved in a helter skelter entertainment package without Cricket Australia coaching or medical support in India on the eve of a West Indies tour which contains three Tests, five one-day matches and a Twenty20 game. At the very least Cricket Australia will program a training camp at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane for the beginning of May before the team leaves later in the second week.
The decision to postpone the tour prevents the possibility of a rift between Cricket Australia and its players, AAP reports.
Peter English is former Australasia editor of ESPNcricinfo