move the world cup from subcontinent…

shared by straight point on Wednesday, March 04, 2009

i will first start with my homage to the policemen who shed their lives in protecting our heroes…

my condolences to their families...may they all find peace in this turbulent time…

it is time to take stock of things coz cricket has not only lost its innocence but its ‘untouchable’ aura that we all believed in…and looked helplessly getting this aura thrashed for once and all…

not only the bullets laid shattered in the lanes of lahore but with that the hope of organising cricket in pakistan…and i dare say world cup in subcontinent…

we all know pakistan is going through turmoil for quite a while now…so is sri lanka who is also fighting hard to regain the turf from ltte…

bangladesh too is fighting his own demons where armed forces are fighting with each other…

...and though we successfully hosted england as well as srilanka in not so distant past…india is still recuperating from the 26/11 attacks…

terror emanating from across the border is relentless and any untoward mishap can lead to complete black out of cricket from subcontinent…

it’s one matter to organize a bilateral series and another when team representing all nations moving daily from one place to another to play matches in almost war kinda atmosphere…

it’s not the time to score brownie points…that yes we alone can organise world cup…

it should not be, therefore, seen as india conceding that we cannot organise world cup…

it is time to show the maturity to let go...cricket is demanding this kinda maturity...coz anyway cricket is a team game and when one player is feeling the pressure another should step up to take guard for a while...

we are anyway fighting kind of war with terror which with this attack has already attained unprecedented level of threat and therefore risk… organizing world cup in this scenario will be nothing but distraction from the main cause…and when the threat is so near and so relentless it is always better to take caution then be fool hardy brave…which this accident has illustrated aptly...

i hope the authorities involved will take the gravity of situation in stock before looking into the financial losses or gains in organising cricket in subcontinent…

let world cup be moved out of subcontinent for this time…

11 comments:

Gaurav Sethi said...

SP, got me thinking here.
First take, I'm not gonna be happy to see the WC go from the sub. But that could be better than no world cup at all.

Prior to the attacks, ICC was gonna assess the pak situation 1 year down from now, for the WC. Think the same stands for the entire sub, and the world. Let's see where we are 1 year from now, and in 2011.

straight point said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
straight point said...

thanks NC...

though we all must wait for dust to settle down...but we cant let go time either...

staging world cup and preparation takes lots of time and we should give enough time to whoever will organise it...

Anonymous said...

As much as Australian and New Zealand fans would love to hold two World Cups in a row (back up for 2011 and host for 2015)I think we should wait till after the election and IPL before getting hasty.

I think India can hold the World Cup without Pakistan and they'll do a good job but if players need to be ferried around in bullet-proof vehicles for safety then that is a sign that it should be moved to the relative safety of the Antipodes.

straight point said...

...but if players need to be ferried around in bullet-proof vehicles for safety then that is a sign that it should be moved to the relative safety of the Antipodes.

yes nesta and now multiply the scenario for around 200 players, more than 1000 crew members, commentators around world tourist and you can imagine the 'distraction' i am talking about...

i am not doubting a bit about india's capability of staging world cup alone...but doubting the prevailing circumstances... talibaan is closing in and said to be just 20 minutes away from karachi...

just one incident and not only india but whole subcontinent will suffer...

we can certainly do away hosting worldcup this time...

Anonymous said...

Understand NC although I think that the ICC and BCCI will take a lot longer to convince.

Your comment about Taleban closing in is frightening not only for everybody close by but of the likely response by the USA if they capture a major city in Pakistan.

It is times like these that I am even more grateful that my family and I live on a quiet unobtrusive little island far away from most of the world's troubles. I hope you and your kin stay safe too.

straight point said...

thanks for the concern and wishes...nesta... :)

Soulberry said...

SP, the concerns are valid.

owever, there are things ahppening now together which make it appear like this will be a persistent situation.

Two years later perceptions will be different.

One cannot predict duration of civil wars, but what is happening in BD is unlikely to be an everlasting one.

Pakistan's is a different problem and they will have to make deep-rooted corrections.

I'll not be hasty...in the manner of how say a Duncan Fletcher.

England, you may recall, undertook the tour a few weeks after Mumbai and all issues were handled succesfully.

Neutral centres could be used for WC within Asia and I am certain some regular countries in Asia will be well equipped to host the WC.


It is, as you say, not about brownie points. It is much more.

straight point said...

soulberry...

don't you think staging world cup in neutral ground can set a precedent which countries other than subcontinent will use for their advantage whenever the qstion of staging matches in subcontinent will arise...?

i can understand for pak coz of what happening there is seems even beyond their control now but i will hate to see india paying 'home' series away...

Soulberry said...

Most of all SP, I said let's wait for adrenaline levels to come down.

ICC will have a meeting later and will discuss issues.

Pakistan will have to curb their internal menace with a tighter fist. They need the time to do it.

I agree some of life's most saving decisions are taken at instants and when the pulse is racing, but many better decisions are taken in a calmer environment.

Let's wait and see how things begin to take shape. The impressions formed in haste dictate our perception, actions and feelings for a very long time.

straight point said...

fair point SB...

lets wait so... :)

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