The Australian Cricket Team’s tour of Pakistan has been postponed due to the volatile situation prevailing in Pakistan.
On the advice of the Australian Government and political experts,the Australian cricket board cancelled the proposed month long tour of Pakistan.The Australian players feel insecure over their security, in the wake of the death of PPP leader late.Benazir Bhutto and a spate of violent incidents that is happening in Pakistan.To cap it all, two suicidal attacks in Lahore, killing over 24 persons made matters worst.
Under the circumstances stated above, Australian Cricket Board expressed its inability to get on with the scheduled tour.The efforts of PCB, to reschedule the tour iternary, cancelling the matches in the venues of some sensitive areas and reducing the number of matches, was of no avail.If the tour is cancelled the Australian Cricket Board may have to pay a compensation of $ 2,00,000 to the PCB.But the Australian Cricket board has only postponed the tour, requesting PCB, to reschedule the tour around 2010.Even the request of Pakistan’s cricket coach,the Australian Geoff Lawson, inviting Australian players to come to Pakistan, claiming that Pakistan is safe, is of no avail.
The PCB realising the impending postponement or the cancellation of the tour, had approached BCCI to have a one day series in Pakistan, when Indian team returned to India from Australia.But BCCI, considering the tight schedule of the Indian team and the forthcoming tour of South Africa in India in the fourth week of March, 2008, said no to the proposal, even inviting the harsh comments of former players like Javed Miandad, that India never came forward to help Pakistan in the hour of crisis.
Now PCB has approached Bangladesh, to arrange for a one day series with Pakistan and it is understood,that it is learnt that Bangladesh Cricket Board has agreed to the same.
It is true that politics is playing a spoil sport as far as cricket in Pakistan is concerned.