A while back, either in this, or a past life, I remarked on members of the England cricket team openly advocating their inclusion in the 20/20 circus in India. While I don’t deny these players the right to earn more money for themselves, their failure to spot the bigger picture gnawed at me. Hence I advocated a number of new teams that should be set up to accommodate the new players. These should be based in Karachi, Rawalpindi and Guwahati. I’d add Ahmedabad to that list as it is dry, so Flintoff should be right at home.
Last night’s, and sadly ongoing events in Mumbai cast a whole new perspective on things as the spectre of terrorism raises its sadly familiar head once again. As soon as something went spectacularly pop in the streets of the Gateway to India, so England had their get out not to go to strife torn Guwahati in the far north east corner of the vast sub-continent, where on a previous visit the locals hadn’t taken to kindly to the game being called off and rioted, and where bombs go off with horrific consequences. Clearly Delhi was going to go by the wayside as a seventh pointless fixture after our so far lack-lustre displays wasn’t really worth it.
Now we hear the test series may be in doubt. I for one cast sorry eyes at the Australians after the events of 7 July 2005 for even mentioning about going home. They stayed for that most memorable of series. England are now in that position and at the moment the clear inference is that they are coming home. Whether they do, and if so, whether they return for the tests is unclear. After all, their security is their first priority. I totally understand that. Just as I understand why Drug Cheat, and other Aussies due to play in the Champions League 20/20 jamboree and Middlesex are also not travelling.
However, wind back a bit. The champion IPL team comes from Jaipur. The Rajasthan Royals team were not cowed by terrorists at all, especially when this happened. Sure there were murmurs from the overseas players about departing, but raking in those levels of cash seemed to avert cowardice. Graeme Smith said (source Wiki, so who knows) – “though they (foreign players) felt unsafe, they never threatened to leave the team in the middle of the tournament” – Graeme Smith earned $475,000 for his particular bravery. Hell, they even played in Jaipur four days after the bombings took place. Jacques Kallis and Cameron White were two “foreigners” who braved the journey from Bangalore to play there. Bangalore was also cited as an alternative venue for the Champions League to Mumbai. No terrorism in Bangalore. Ooops.
England players, of course, aren’t being paid that much to continue on their path, but I’d bet they be fortified if this was in May and KP et al are playing for the Chennai Dunhill Milds or whoever. Look, I know people can accuse me of talking the talk here, but take it from me, and you have to take it at face value, I was in the Consulate at Istanbul three weeks before the bastards blew it up and took away a very fine and nice man I had the privilege of meeting, Roger Short (not Little, as I put in my original version – my stupidity) , and many others. If my department had said whether I wanted to go out there the day after, I would have said yes. Would I go to Istanbul? Of course I would, in a heartbeat. It is a great city. I go to New York and that has had the biggest atrocity of all. I go on the London Underground, as I did on 21 July when those muppets tried to bomb it after the atrocities of July 7. It is the same thing as a bombing in London. You are not likely to be killed by terrorists, but it is a miniscule risk we all have to take – we have no choice. Be brave.
I want the England players to stand up and say “we want to play”. We’d be revered in India for doing so. The respect we would get would be enormous. I’d be totally proud of them. We should offer to confirm that we are prepared play the game in Mumbai as a mark of our deepest respect – make it the first test if you possibly can.
No. I await us welching out of the country, but when a bomb goes off in London, we expect the visitors to stay. Holed up 900 miles away near Cuttack, and the boys don’t want to be getting on a plane to a destination even further away, let alone Delhi. But if these people let six months pass and then fill their boots on Indian lucre, the respect they should crave will evaporate. This is not a five minute risk, this is a risk for the ages, and I’m not sure if you go home now (if ordered by Indian authorities, or logistics are just too tough, then of course, I can’t quibble) you can ever return and pick up the lucre without having some eyebrows raised?
Am I being too harsh?
