We have said before that
world cricket would be poorer without Pakistan and we would say it again, but the fact is that international cricket in Pak does not seem a likely possibility at least in the near future. And it is not just the bad cricket news of the attack of the Sri Lankan cricket team; it is also the political instability of the entire nation and the government’s inability to reign in extremist forces such as the Taliban in the SWAT valley that makes the country unsafe. Reportedly Pak skipper Younis Khan himself was in the cricket news as saying that if his team had been targeted he would have quit cricket the next day!
The ICC would do well to ensure that Pak does not turn into a cricket pariah however.
That is neither in the interests of Pakistan nor in the interests of international cricket. Neutral venues are always an option (like the UAE will be for the upcoming series between Australia and Pakistan) and there is also no hindrance for the Pak team to tour more test playing nations.
The IPL would have been ideal for Pak integration into the international cricket community once more and particularly renew soured relations with their neighbour India. However government obduracy on both sides (the Indian government for indicating that Pak players would not be welcome and visas would not be issued and the Pak government for issuing a blanket ban for the IPL) ensured that
IPL cancelled their contract with the Pak players.
If people in Pakistan are distressed their chagrin is understandable but their refusal to accept the reality of Pak right now is a little sad. Radical forces in the country are daily gaining more of a grip not just on areas of Pakistan but in civil society as well as on the minds of people. Extremists are becoming more powerful all the time and are able to use the poverty and lawlessness in the land for furthering their own agendas.
If the people of Pakistan are complaining against a step motherly treatment from the ICC, they must open their eyes and realize that cricket is the least of the problems that their troubled land faces at this time. This is merely one symptom of a deep malaise that has set into the very fabric of the country, where people are without direction, are angry and desperate and where governance has been a resounding failure. If Pakistan somehow gets back on track, Pakistani cricket will take care of itself!
