Monday, May 18, 2015
Abu Dhabi: Pakistan’s reputation and future as a host for international cricket is at stake with the way the Zimbabwe tour is conducted, according to former Pakistan speedster and UAE coach Aaqib Javed.
“It is not an ideal situation for a tour to get under way [the massacre of 45 people in an attack on a bus in Karachi last week] you can say, but it is a move in the right direction for sure,” said Javed.
It has taken six years for Pakistan to win the trust of one cricketing nation to see the sport return to their shores and Pakistan can ill afford any slip-up. “People from outside would feel that things are not good in Pakistan but Lahore has been safe for the past several years. I can understand things haven’t been good in Karachi or Peshawar, but Lahore has been safe and nothing untoward has happened in recent times,” said Javed, adding that more than anything what the players look forward to is a safe environment.
“The players’ concern would be safety and, once you can provide that, they will get into their business of playing cricket without much of a worry,” said Javed. The best move from the PCB was to keep all the matches to one venue, he added.
“I think they [teams] will be provided with the VVIP security and, since they have decided to have all the matches at one venue, the government’s focus will remain completely at one place. I’m sure they will give the best security possible and make sure everything goes well,” said Javed, adding that the presence of Grant Flower as Pakistan’s batting coach would also have influenced Zimbabwe’s decision to go ahead with the tour.
“I would like to appreciate Zimbabwe team for coming forward to show their support. They would have surely taken some advice from Pakistan’s batting coach Grant [Flower]. He has been staying in Lahore for over three years and would have given the Zimbabwe board the right picture of how things are there.”
Referring to the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) decision not to send officials, Javed said: “Yes, ICC should have backed the move but one can’t blame them completely. The world is bound to be sceptical and the trust has to be regained and, hopefully, it will happen with time.”
Asked whether the success of the tour would open the doors immediately for more series in Pakistan, Javed said: “It is still early to say how much of an impact would it make on the other cricketing bodies. If everything goes well, then I feel it will still take another two to three years to convince everyone. For six years, the people of Pakistan have been deprived of cricket at home and as of now we should just welcome this as the new beginning.”
By N.D. Prashant Staff Reporter
Gulf News 2015. All rights reserved.
