cricket with balls

I said I would have traveled to Pakistan, and I stand by that.

When the next cricket team travels to Pakistan, I hope to be there.

I might have to wait a while, but hopefully someone cashes me up and sends me there.

I thought teams should tour there, but I also thought the best protection available would be given to them. That was not the case, 40 year old rifles and a ute or two of police is not presidential security anywhere other than Fiji.

Right at the moment international cricket should not be played in Pakistan, although I do not believe that has been the case for the entirety of the last decade.

My issues with Australians, mostly, not touring Pakistan have been with hypocrisy, the fact it has been eleven years since they have been there, and the general bullshit pretences before ‘deciding’ to pull out not long before the tour. 

Hypocrisy

Shane Watson was playing for Rajasthan when the city was attacked, just up from the Royals hotel, and he was not asked to come home.

Australia A toured Pakistan in September 2007.

That they were willing to play in war torn countries, countries with dictators, countries with active terrorism, but not Pakistan.

11 years

In that time every team in the world has been to Pakistan.

Some countries more than once.

Australia has not, and realistically, has not even been close to playing there.

Pretence

The biggest problem I have with Australia, isn’t with the players, I understand fear, but the administracrats.

The way they pretend there is a chance they are going, the setting up the tour, delaying the decision, and all that shit, when we all know they aren’t going.

Australia weren’t ever going, don’t fuck with us, don’t give us shit, just cancel the tour.

Cricket is a beautiful game, but I would prefer to see the blood kept on the pitch than off it, so for the time being Pakistan is off limits, but once a team tours them again, I will happily go along to report, finances permitted.