Pakistan cricket is facing a hard time following New Zealand’s last-minute withdrawal from their tour due to a “security threat” and later the English Cricket Board (ECB) also cancelled England’s scheduled tour of Pakistan for two T20Is in mid-October.

The Black Caps had arrived in the country after 18 years to play a cricket series, but returned without playing a single game. Last time New Zealand visited here was in 2002, but they left the tour after a bomb blast outside the team hotel in Karachi.

England’s men and women teams were due to play two Twenty20s in Rawalpindi on October 13 and 14. The women’s team were also due to play three ODIs in Pakistan on October 17, 19, and 21.

England didn’t pay back after what Pakistan did last year, saving ECB’s millions of pounds with the Pakistan cricket team tour during Covid-19.

During the pandemic period, Pakistan have been the most frequent contributor to ensuring that cricket continues around the world. In return they expected that their sacrifices would be acknowledged and cricket boards like England, Australia and New Zealand would send their teams to support the return of international cricket to Pakistan.

The ECB should recall that a day before the Pakistan-India encounter at the 2017 Champions Trophy a bus and knife attack happened in London which killed some people and many got injured, but despite the attack, no team withdrew and the tournament completed without any trouble in England.

It looks clear that it’s not a matter of security threat. There could be political reasons. It is very much expected that after New Zealand and England withdrawal, Australia will also refuse to play in Pakistan.

New Zealand’s captain Kane Williamson also condemned the withdrawal of his team stated that it was a “real shame” that the Kiwis abandoned their first tour of Pakistan in 18 years.

Journalists from New Zealand and England also slammed their respective boards for their “double standards”.

The PCB should demand compensation for the losses that the PCB will suffer after the unexpected withdrawal by New Zealand and England.

It’s good to see that the Chairman PCB Ramiz Raja took a strong stand and refused to play on a neutral venue.

Enough is enough, the PCB should not show courtesy anymore. If any cricket board is not interested in sending their team, there is no need to play at neutral venues as Pakistan is one of the top teams in the international circuit and deserves respect like India, Australia, England and New Zealand.

Ramiz reminded the ECB that Pakistan cricket team visited England last year during a time when the Covid posed much more danger than it does now and most of the English population was unvaccinated.

There was a sense of anger because first New Zealand got away without sharing information about the threat they were facing. ECB used Pakistan when it needed them and binned them when it was time to return the favour.

England are also scheduled to tour Pakistan for five One-day Internationals in October 2022. But the PCB Chairman Ramiz is not very hopeful the visit will materialise. Therefore, the PCB should start planning for back-up options for the home series especially against England, Australia and New Zealand.

Terror attacks have happened in America and Europe as well. But no team or player ever refused to play in these countries.

Even after a bomb blast in Manchester just a week before the ICC Champions Trophy, in which around 22 people were killed, no team or player refused to take part in the trophy.

After the 2008 Mumbai attacks, some of the English players were unwilling to return for the Test series in India, but the BCCI officials requested England team to come back to India for the Test series, saying that otherwise terrorism would win.

Indian media and former cricketers argued that England should play in India and not allow the terrorists to succeed in spreading fear, despite reports that terrorists were attacking mainly British and American citizens.

But when the Indian government chose not to send the team to Pakistan, the Indian media and these same players supported their government.

In 1991, Shiv Sena’s activists damaged the Wankhede Stadium’s pitch two days before Pakistan’s ODI series in India. Pakistan not only continued their tour but did not even ask to change the venue.

In 1999 again when Pakistan were touring India, Hindu militants dug up Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium pitch. But Pakistan played there.

If Pakistan could continue their tours why are other teams hesitant to come to Pakistan?

Australia continued their tour of England in 2005 even after the 7/7 bomb blasts, which left 52 dead and around 700 wounded.

In 2016, a group of gunmen attacked a restaurant in the diplomatic quarter of Dhaka, killing policemen and civilians, mostly foreigners. After this England’s limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan showed his concerns about the tour to Bangladesh and said that neutral venues may be “feasible if it came to that”.

But then Bangladesh Cricket Board’s Chief Executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury categorically rejected any talk of a neutral venue.

If the Bangladesh board can take such a strong stand and refuse to play on a neutral venue, the PCB should take a solid stand.

khurrams87@yahoo.com