Faizah Gilani
New Zealand’s cricket team abandoned its historic tour of Pakistan on match day in a rather bizarre manner. Initially there were reports of match abandonment due to covid, but it was later confirmed that the visiting team would not be playing due to security threats. Play was called off despite Prime Minister Imran Khan’s phone call to his counterpart Jacinda Ardern, assuring her that there was no such threat, and that maximum security was being provided. It was clearly not enough.
A lot of confusion remains surrounding New Zealand’s refusal to play, and what type of threat led them to make such a drastic decision. It was a unilateral decision and according to government officials and the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) newly appointed chairman Ramiz Raja, nothing was shared. With no source of the intelligence, no evidence, and with the entire episode shrouded in mystery, conspiracy theories have been doing the rounds.
There were rumours that the British High Commission shared a security alert with New Zealand’s government, but this was quickly denied by Christian Turner, the British High Commissioner to Pakistan, calling it “untrue.” Another theory, which has been widely believed as carrying some weight, is the idea that this is beyond sport. Many are seeing this through a political lens, something that Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed spoke of in his press conference, referring to the incident as a global conspiracy, but refused to give any names.
But at some point, the government will have to back this claim with evidence, otherwise it will not hold merit. It is, however, interesting to note that back in August, an article by an Indian journalist for the Sunday Guardian Live stated that New Zealand team may face terror attack in Pakistan, and that the series could be called off. Some may argue that this is a mere coincidence. But we cannot dismiss the fact that Indian lobbies have been working hard to discredit Pakistan in every way possible, which was exposed in a report by the EU Disinfo Lab.
This is precisely why the government and PCB must take a firm stance. For too long the PCB has played Mr Nice guy, accommodating other teams bailing them out. The national side had even toured New Zealand and England during the height of the pandemic. Cricketing boards in the past have lacked backbone and often worked on a policy of appeasement. It is high time for the PCB to stand tall, build a case and push for compensation. And if all else fails, the board should seriously consider boycotting any future bilateral series with them. It might sound extreme, but the board has to put its foot down.
Pakistan is set to lose out on big money following New Zealand’s decision to return home without a single ball being played. Chairman Ramiz Raja has said that “New Zealand will hear us at ICC.” Although it is believed that ICC cannot do much, this should not discourage the PCB from fighting its corner in a professional manner. Here, the government must also back the board during this difficult time. It has a vital role to play, as this issue can and should be taken up on a diplomatic level as well, but without hysterics.
The government must make it clear that if the country is secure enough to provide a safe exit for foreign citizens, diplomats and NATO forces from Afghanistan, then it is safe enough for cricket. But at a time like this, it is unfortunate to see the opposition exploiting the situation. Some of the statements coming from opposition camps and individuals such as Maryam Nawaz, have been rather distasteful and petty. The government can be criticised over a number of issues and there will always be time for political point scoring. But there are some instances when politics should take a back seat.
What should have been an exciting contestant between two quality sides has now been reduced to an embarrassment for Pakistan. This will also most likely have ramifications for Pakistani cricket in the near future, potentially causing yet another setback. Fans were deprived of cricket on home soil for many years following the attack on the Sri Lankan team back in 2009.
Since then, Pakistan has made significant progress in the revival of home cricket. Teams such as Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, West Indies and South Africa have toured the country, and Pakistan Super League (PSL) has been successfully conducted. The only time PSL faced disruption in Pakistan was due to covid, resulting in the remaining matches taking place in the UAE.
But New Zealand’s last-minute refusal to play could potentially cause a domino effect on other teams that are scheduled to tour Pakistan. England’s tour of Pakistan next month and next year’s home series with Australia are now in real jeopardy. The seriousness of it all was summed up well by former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar who tweeted, “New Zealand killed Pakistan cricket.” To some it may seem dramatic and extreme on his part, but anyone that follows international cricket will be very well versed with how things roll.
England and Australia will be following events closely and there is every chance that they will try and arm twist the PCB into shifting Pakistan’s home games to the UAE instead. Testing times now lie ahead for Pakistan’s cricket board. But if we put cricket aside for a moment, one must also keep in mind that this entire fiasco goes beyond sports. This does not serve as a good look for Pakistan on the global stage. Enticing foreign investors and encouraging tourism can become a tricky task. It is under circumstances such as this where perception is greater than reality.
Followers of international cricket will know that this is not the first time New Zealand has pulled the plug on an away series, and the team has a history of being jittery. Prime Minister Ardern stressed on the safety of players being top priority, and that is understandable. The safety and security of players should never be compromised. But it is hard to believe that after all the lessons learnt from the past, Pakistan’s security agencies would slip up.
It is also mind boggling as to why New Zealand cricket chief executive officer David White has said that specific details of threat could not and will be disclosed – privately or publicly. This is unfair towards Pakistan, who deserve to know why this happened. The fact that nothing is being shared suggests the intelligence that led to the abandonment of the series, might not be credible enough.
Understandably, there is a lot of hurt and anger felt among the fans, and players of both past and present have been fuming. Many of the current players that were a part of the squad scheduled to play against New Zealand have taken to social media to vent. But they need to channel their energy in the right direction. The best response would be for the team to express themselves with the bat and ball in the upcoming world T20 event. And here is a fun fact: Pakistan happens has to be in New Zealand’s group, along with arch-rivals India.
The writer has studied History and Politics at Queen Mary, University of London. And Near and Middle East Studies at SOAS, University of London.
