Reverberations being felt everywhere
Judhajit
25-Feb-2013
AFP
There's no point in denying that sport has never been under such grievous threat. As every illusion about the invincibility of sport, its emotion, what it does to the human spirit at its moments of greatest expression, was shot down with the events in Lahore, writes James Lawton in the Independent.
Of course sport will survive because it is not something that is created outside some of the most basic instincts of young people to compete and enjoy whatever talent they have been given, and when you have enjoyed pleasure it will never leave you. However, there is no point in denying that in its highest form, on the international stage, it has never been under such grievous threat.
Angus Fraser in the same paper writes on how touring Asia used to be one of the game's great pleasures but those days are now over, with the stakes becoming too high now.
Every player who has toured Asia will have sat on a similar bus and made similar journeys to and from the ground they were playing at. On occasion each of us would have nervously looked out of the coach window and questioned the motives of the motorbike driver inquisitively staring at you. But on nearly every occasion the stare turned to a smile once he had realised the coach was filled with cricketers. Considering the humble life of most of these people it was easy to thank your lucky stars for the position you were in.
Mike Atherton believes the Lahore terror attacks could have a devastating effect on the game in the subcontinent. In an interview to Patrick Kidd in the Times he also talks about the end of cricket as a truly international sport if cricket in India were take a blow.
Sarah Hoggard writing in the same paper, recalls how dangers would be at the back of her mind when her husband and England fast bowler Matthew went on tour to Pakistan or India in recent years. However, she would remind herself that dreadful things could happen anywhere, at any time, and that her husband was being looked after by people who could be trusted to keep him safe.
That was of particular importance in India, where the cricket supporters are so fanatical that every time you step out of the hotel you are likely to get mobbed...On tour in India we got a taste of what the Beckhams' lives must be like all the time. So in situations like that, it's important that you are made to feel secure.
Mihir Bose in his blog on the BBC website says there are two very worrying things about the events in Pakistan. To begin with, there can never be absolute security for anybody, with hastily-arranged matches making security even more difficult. Second, the perpetrators must have had frighteningly good intelligence about what was going on.
Mike Selvey in his blog on the Guardian website voices his concerns about the game, given that the whole subcontinent will be out of bounds for some time now.
A new Future Tours Programme was to be put in place by the ICC to follow the current arrangement which runs until 2012. David Leggat in the New Zealand Herald believes it's time to start again and delete all proposed trips to Pakistan. Also, check out Rod Emmerson's cartoon in the same paper.
It was perhaps all true and gut-feel “honest”, but Dhoni's remarks on being "happy we didn't tour Pakistan" was perhaps inappropriate and insensitive. Sharda Ugra in her blog on the India Today website takes the opportunity to understand BCCI’s grasp, or the lack, of media training or media management.
The current regime even takes great pride in being control freaks of a kind. Except when some real control is needed, the BCCI somehow finds a way to ensure that Indian cricket ends up with its foot in its mouth.
Vir Sanghvi in his editorial piece in the Hindustan Times calls for the postponement of the IPL with the India security forces firmly focussing on protecting the elections from jihadi attacks.