Sahara Fiasco - Keep cricket out of politics

It is ironical that Indo-Pak cricket becomes the victim of even the smallest political crisis in the sub-continent. The general impression that the political system in India is capable of absorbing all types of shocks has not proved so, as far as its close neighbor and so called arch rival Pakistan is concerned. The government's deep involvement in cricket affairs is not only destroying the very fabric of cricket in the country but also jeopardizing the BCCI's relations with other cricket playing countries of the world. India's pulling out of the Sahara Cup scheduled to commence at Toronto on September 9 is a big blow to the Indo-Pak cricket relations and their joint plans and efforts of raising Asia to the top of cricket world. The dream cannot become a reality unless the two big brothers continue playing against each other regularly.

Many observers of the game feel that India remains in search of excuses and opportunities to back out from its cricket commitments. It refused to send the junior team to participate in the ICC-Under-15 Asia Cup held in Pakistan last month. It was a tournament for the innocent young souls, which should not have been dragged into the net of dirty politics. India pulled out of the Singapore Triangular without assigning a tangible reason. Pakistan had to take its place. And now comes the big "No" to Sahara.

India's marked inconsistency in its cricket relations with Pakistan is quite mysterious. It pulled out of the Sahara Cup last year on the flimsy pretext of the Kargil border conflict but agreed to play Pakistan in Australia and Bangladesh this year. Now all of a sudden the Sahara Cup has been bracketed with the Kashmir crisis, which has lingered on for 53 years and is likely to remain unresolved for God knows how many more years.

Reviewing the decision in the perspective of close friendship between the two boards, one feels sure that the Board of control for cricket in India is not to blame for this fiasco. The BCCI's Selection Committee was on the job of selecting the team while the Board was scheduled to meet and announce its decision on August 19. Before the Board could do so the Sports Minister Sukhdev Singh Dhinsa put an end to the BCCI's insistence for participation in Sahara Cup with a Capital "No". The grave disenchantment expressed by the BCCI Chief AC Muthiah on the Indian government's decision will indicate that the action has not been welcomed by the cricket fraternity. Like last year one could digest it if the "boycott" was restricted to Sahara Cup only but it is not so. The Indian Government has almost put the shutters down on Indo-Pak cricket.

According to the Government's hand out "India will not participate in any tournament involving Pakistan as long as the later does not stop encouraging the killings of innocent people in Kashmir." Firstly it is unfair to blame Pakistan for violence in the Indian held Kashmir, a disputed territory controlled and defended by the Indian army, police and other security forces. Secondly why must the axe always fall on cricket, especially the Sahara Cup and not other sports?

If the Indian Minister of Sports is so allergic to Pakistan's presence, why does not he tell the IOC that India would not participate in the Sydney Olympics because Pakistan is there? It is quite likely that hockey teams from the two countries come face to face with each other. With such an attitude of the Indian government, one cannot be sure if the Indian team will acknowledge its commitment of touring Pakistan for the test series scheduled for December 2000. And then what about the ICC Knock out one day championship in Kenya in October, a sort of Mini World Cup in which Pakistan is also participating?

Some observers feel that the Indian government's act of withholding permission may only be the eyewash. The cancellation of the tour could be a means to save the players from the humiliation of being dropped from the team because of their suspected involvement in match fixing. If this is true the government is not handling the problem with wisdom. The Pakistani players were made much bigger targets of match fixing than others. Yet the Pakistan Cricket Board handled the issue sensibly bringing the problem to a graceful end.

Mr. Sukhdev the Sports Minister perhaps does not realize that cricket is the game of constant practice. Restraining the team from participation in competitions like Sahara Cup and others is bound to cause serious damage to its prowess.

Another view that prevails far and wide is that after realizing that any contact with Pakistan will end in their failure, India is running away from the bilateral contests with Pakistan. In the process they have started to carve out escape routes not caring for its obligations or the sportsman spirit. By pulling out of the series, India has from political angle tried to malign and defame Pakistan for its own failure to maintain peace in troubled Kashmir. From the cricket point of view it has tried to hide its own weakness to prepare and keep the team united in the wake of match fixing, piling up illegal wealth and tax evasion scandals chasing its players.

There is a common feeling that India's pull out from Sahara Cup is bound to hurt the feelings of people of the sub-continent who anxiously wait for such a high profile contest between the two arch rivals. The biggest shock would be caused to the Indo-Pak expatriates in Canada who also wait for this fabulous event the whole year. It would also result in a serious set back to the promotion of cricket in Canada that was well on its way to progress. Above all India's sudden refusal has also put the IMG, the organizers of Sahara Cup in a fix to find a suitable replacement for India.

Politics has ingrained so deep in India's roots, that its leaders keep no activity out of it. Not paying a heed to the maxim that "while politics divides people, sports bind them together", the Indian authorities have completely failed in keeping cricket out of politics.

Re-acting to the Indian decision Lt. Gen Tauqir Zia, the Chairman PCB expressed the view that Indian government's deep involvement in cricket is disappointing. They should keep out of cricket so that the people of South Asia could enjoy the game they love. The General emphasized that politics should not be allowed to mingle with sports. Similarly Javed Miandad, the former Pakistan captain is also of the view that India needs to separate cricket from politics and take a positive stand on its cricket ties with Pakistan, otherwise its credibility would be damaged.

Cricket is the game of civilized people, well organized and planned down to smallest details. The International Cricket Calendar is formulated and approved at the ICC's level. As the players are punished for violating the code of conduct, likewise the countries backing out of their commitments and contractual obligations must also be taken to task.