Welcoming gesture of Board of Cricket Control in India

Without any doubt, the latest announcement made by the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) to invite Pakistani team for a bilateral series at the end of this year is quite a welcoming gesture.

Although it still needs the approval of both the governments, this will be the first such tour in last five years after the Mumbai attacks. The cricketing lovers across the borders felt pleasures over the decision.

Pakistan and India lastly played against each other in 2007, the most notably thrilling semi-final of the World Cup, as the cricketing relationships between the two neighboring states were suspended after the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

On the other side, Pakistan hasn’t been able to host any international tournament in the country since the 2009 terrorist attack targeting Sri Lankan team in Lahore, the provincial metropolis of Punjab.

The attack on Sri Lankan team was not only a death of international cricket in Pakistan but also cost the country its position as one of the co-hosts of the 2011 World Cup with India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Earlier, Pakistan reputation was not quite positive as a bomb blast occurred in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, close to a hotel where the New Zealand cricket team was residing.

Although the security concern of international teams are justified and logical, the local authorities should convince the cricket playing countries that Pakistan is a safe place to play cricket.

In such a scenario when people are already depressed with many issues, the security concerns should not be used as an excuse to deprive local fans of international cricket in the country.

Pakistan is playing its home-games in other venue since the 2009 attack on Sri Lankan cricket team. The recent tour between Pakistan and India will be an excellent confidence-building measure between the two states.

I am confident this tournament will pave the way for continues sporting ties between the two neighboring countries. The encounter between Pakistan and India is one of few rivalries in the sport that generate much excitement for the fans.

One can hopes the upcoming tournament between two neighboring states after a gap of five years will open the door for international teams to resume playing cricket in Pakistan.

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Posted by Faisal Farooq on Jul 19 2012. Filed under Opinion, Pakistan, Society. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.