Staying at home

India to Pakistan 2000-01
With diplomatic relations in tatters following the conflict in Kargil (Kashmir), the Indian government stepped in to block the national side from undertaking their first planned tour of Pakistan in 11 years. "This puts us in a position where we would like to review our relationship with India and may not play them even in offshore, tri-nations, one-day events," fumed the PCB chairman, Tauqir Zia. It followed a decision two months earlier, again at government level, to bar the Indian side from playing in Toronto's Sahara Cup as it would have meant them taking the field against Pakistan. India and Pakistan did play in Australia's triangular one-day series in January 2000, but it was not until 2004 that they played each other at home.

England to India 1988
England's trips to India in the 1980s were nothing if not eventful. The 1981-82 tour was in doubt for some time after the Indian government threatened to refuse entry to Geoff Boycott and Geoff Cook as they had played or coached in South Africa. In 1984-85 the tour was marred - and for some time close to cancellation - following the assassination of the Indian prime minister, Indira Gandhi, and the British consul. In 1988 the issue was once again links with South Africa: Graham Gooch, the captain, and seven other members of the side who were on UN blacklists for their sporting links with South Africa were refused visas to enter. This time there was to be no compromise and the tour was scrapped.

Australia to Zimbabwe 2007
For all the bluster and rhetoric from politicians in England and Australia, none had actually backed words with actions until Australia's prime minister John Howard did so. Under ICC regulations any country failing to tour another for anything other than security reasons faced paying hefty damages to the home board. In 2004-05 the British government talked tough about how the national side should not tour Zimbabwe but hid behind the curtain when push came to shove, leaving the England board to carry the can as the tour went ahead. But Howard, a vociferous critic of the Robert Mugabe regime, barred his players from going and headed off suggestions that the series could be played in neutral South Africa by warning that he would withdraw players' passports. No tour, no damages. Zimbabwe's information minister was splenetic. "Australia is one of the worst human rights violators in this whole world. Look what they have done to the aborigines and yet they have the audacity to stand up and claim to have the moral authority to condemn us."

Zimbabwe to New Zealand 2005-06
While the Australian board had voiced concerns about touring Zimbabwe before Howard stepped in, NZC and its chief executive, Martin Snedden, made clear they were not to be moved, and in August 2005, New Zealand, against a backdrop of criticism at home, toured Zimbabwe. However, the New Zealand government was not impressed, given that it had passed a resolution in July 2005 calling on NZC to scrap the tour as well as demanding the ICC ban Zimbabwe from all international cricket. When the government made clear that it would refuse to grant visas to any of the Zimbabwe side for that December's return visit, that series was doomed. The government subsequently paid its board NZ$406,000 in compensation.

England to South Africa 1968-69
Basil D'Oliveira was a Cape coloured batsman of tremendous ability who had been brought to England in the 1960s and who made his Test debut for his adopted country in 1966. In 1968 he scored 158 in the final Ashes Test after being recalled, but was controversially left out of the side to tour South Africa that winter. Critics slammed the MCC for making a political decision so as not to clash with South Africa's apartheid policy - but three weeks later Tom Cartwright withdrew through injury and D'Oliveira was drafted in. That angered South Africa's government, and prime minister John Vorster, who said: "This is not the team of the MCC ... it is the team of the anti-apartheid movement." Vorster added D'Oliveira would not be allowed to play, and MCC scrapped the tour.

South Africa to Australia 1971-72
When South Africa's tour of England in 1970 was scrapped amid massive protests, it seemed unlikely that Australia would go ahead with hosting them in 1971-72. But remarkably, despite the growing global awareness of, and anger over, apartheid, the tour by South Africa was still officially on as late as September 1971. However, massive political unrest allied to civil disturbances in Australia - which came to a head during South Africa's rugby tour in June that year and led to a state of emergency being declared in Queensland - made it apparent that a Test series that summer was unsustainable. Faced with an inevitable non-violent-direct-action policy - disruption of matches, flashing mirrors to distract batsmen, blockading the team into its hotel - the Australian Cricket Board withdrew the offer to its South African counterparts seven weeks before the scheduled start. After weeks of exhausting negotiations, in early October it finally announced that a World XI had been to undertake a full tour to fill in.

South Africa to England 1975
A rarity in that the cancellation of the proposed tour by South Africa had a positive effect. It opened a hole in the calendar that enabled the ICC to stage the inaugural World Cup. While few believed that South Africa would visit, given their almost complete international isolation, at the time the decision by the ICC was reached at its July 1973 annual meeting, the tour had yet to be officially scrapped by the England board. That happened two months later, but the proposed tour by England in 1975-76 was still left in the air. In the event, England pulled out and their players enjoyed a winter off ... the last one they were to have.

England to India 1939-40
England were scheduled to tour India in the winter of 1939-40, and the squad had been named earlier in that hot August. A much-weakened side contained none of the XI that played against West Indies at The Oval, and none of the household names of the period. But even as the announcement was made, the virtual inevitability of war in Europe meant few believed the trip would happen. The planning continued, however, and an extensive schedule was drawn up, starting in Karachi and going on to feature three Tests. It was not until the eve of war in September that the official announcement of the cancellation was made by the MCC.

England to India, Pakistan and Ceylon 1971-72
Widespread problems in Pakistan caused by the war in Bangladesh - as many as eight million refugees were believed to be in transit - led to England calling off their tour of the subcontinent after more than a month of discussion. A board statement said the decision was made "in the best interests of cricket" but it was clear the BCCI, who had lobbied for a tour of India and Ceylon only, was far from amused. "We hope the Indian board will have equal sympathy for our viewpoint," a statement from the MCC said. It also added that there was a "need to give players a break" and "otherwise they would have been asked to undertake five major tours in succession, and we do not feel justified in asking our players to undertake such an onerous task". The explanations convinced few, either in India or at home, although the anger was short-lived as within weeks a full tour was announced for the following season.

West Indies A to Zimbabwe 2007
While the cancellations by Australia and New Zealand and the endless debate in England were dismissed by the Zimbabwe board and government as a mix of colonialism and racism, they were left without any comeback when West Indies were forced to scrap their planned A-team tour after they failed to persuade enough players that it was a safe trip to make. The West Indies Players' Association produced documentation that it claimed showed Zimbabwe was not safe, while the authorities countered with a report by the Harare police that it was. For more than a fortnight the WICB prevaricated and angrily brushed aside reports that the trip would not happen, before quietly making such an announcement themselves.

New Zealand to Pakistan 2001-02
The 9/11 attacks and its aftermath threw the world of cricket into confusion. New Zealand were already en route to Pakistan when the atrocities took place. After hasty consultation with the foreign ministry, the squad was ordered to turn around and head home. "As soon as it became obvious that the risks were tangible rather than imagined, it was an easy decision," said Snedden. "It wasn't only because the first Test was due to be played in Peshawar, close to the border with Afghanistan, but the proximity of Pakistan to a potential trouble spot. Pakistan will be naturally very disappointed, but if I am honest, their reaction isn't of major concern to me." The New Zealand A team, which was four weeks into a tour of India, was also withdrawn. New Zealand returned to Pakistan in April 2002, but that tour was cut short after a car bomb in front of the team's Karachi hotel killed 14 people.