|
|
The ICC has cast doubt on the viability of Pakistan as a venue for international
cricket by announcing it will conduct an independent security assessment of the
country before appointing officials for Sri Lanka's tour next month.
Sri Lanka had agreed to tour after India called off their scheduled tour to the
country on Thursday, following a directive from the government in the wake of
the Mumbai terror attacks. David Morgan, the ICC president, told the Indian news
channel CNN-IBN that India's decision was "an acceptable non-compliance" in
keeping with the organisation's rules.
"We will do an independent assessment of the situation in Pakistan to ensure the
safety of the umpires and match referee," Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief
executive, said in Mohali during the second Test between India and England. "I
am convinced the Sri Lankan board will also do everything to ascertain whether
it is safe to play in Pakistan and also seek assurances from the Pakistan
Cricket Board."
In a statement, the ICC said that safety issues for officials and spectators
were as important as those for the players. "The issue is that safety and
security is not simply a matter for players; it's also a matter for everyone
else - broadcasters, journalists and match officials too, as well as spectators.
From the ICC's perspective, what would be required is that the match officials
are afforded the same level of security as any or everyone else involved in the
series."
The statement also raised the issue of umpires being willing to tour. "Just like
with players, officials have choices about whether or not they wish to attend a
tour and are also likely to be guided by the views of their own governments.
[However] the ICC has a significant number of officials and would certainly
expect to be able to identify enough of them to stand in the tour."
The PCB has drawn up a temporary itinerary which includes three Tests and five
one-dayers and is awaiting an approval from Sri Lanka Cricket before releasing
it. Sri Lanka are expected to head to Pakistan after their tour of Bangladesh
ends on January 14. Pakistan have been denied the chance to host several
high-profile teams this year owing to security fears. Australia pulled out of
their Test tour this March and the ICC Champions Trophy was postponed to
September 2009 for the same reasons.
Asked about the difference between the security situation in India following
last month's Mumbai attacks and that in Pakistan, Morgan said: "They are two
different countries. I'm not a security expert. The feedback that I have is that
the security position in the two countries is significantly different."
Lorgat, however, said a final decision on Pakistan's hosting rights of the
Champions Trophy will be taken at the ICC's Executive Board meeting in January.
"We would like to see cricket on Pakistan soil," he said. "But again that
depends on the safety and security that prevails in the area. India's tour of
Pakistan could have provided us huge inputs for the Champions Trophy, but now
that it has been cancelled, Sri Lanka's tour might provide us that input." |
|
|
