Players bound to put safety first
The former New Zealand wicketkeeper Adam Parore has strong views on the shootout in Lahore and what ramifications it has for world cricket
It's not hard to work out that the tap must be turned off in Pakistan's case, but there has now been a seismic shift because cricket teams are clearly regarded as legitimate targets. India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka must also be regarded as too dangerous to remain as hosts for this World Cup, and as cricket tour venues in general.
Has there ever been a more wrong-headed reading of a major incident surrounding a sports team? How could a senior administrator put both feet knee deep into an issue where sensitivity would have seemed essential? It may be that Butt felt his country's security forces needed some verbal support in a time of stress. Or it could be that in terms of possessing a skerrick of diplomacy in his veins, he's on a par with a goat.
Jamie Alter is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo