Australia's tour to Pakistan unlikely

[TT Boy]

It'll be too hard. Clashes with the County season which uses all the grounds all the time.

No, counties do have and use 'out-grounds' throughout the season.

 

[Richard]

pakistan will loose the home ground condition also

they will be far different

Reckon if the Pakistan authorities can pick the grounds and get to tell the groundsmen what to prepare they'd have a better chance in England than in India.

The problem would not, incidentally, be clashes with the county season but with the Test season over here. There's no way on Earth the ECB are going to want two Tests going on concurrantly, or even two series doing such. That's a shame, 'cos I personally would love to see Pakistan-Australia over here, but it's the way it is.

 

[Redbacks]

I guess the Aussie players will be happy they can play in the IPL now

Seems unfair for the tests to be played in England

 

[silentstriker]

It's not like no side is ever going to tour Pakistan again. The PCB need to realise that, at the present time, their country is unsafe to tour and act accordingly. We would certainly tour Pakistan if it was safe to do so. Playing at a neutral venue is better than not playing the tour at all for the game and its future in Pakistan.

It's only unsafe for Australia. Bangladesh will be touring instead in the same timeslot, and every other country has toured Pakistan...except Australia. I've said my thoughts in this thread, so I won't repeat them.

I just hope it'll come back to bite them hard very soon. I hope Pakistan cricket can move forward and the losses from this aren't be too significant. For once, BCCI should intervene and do something that's good for the game of cricket instead of good for themselves.

 

[Fusion]

Though this decision was expected, somehow I still got a high sting of disappointment. I was really looking forward to this series. Oh well, there's nothing the PCB can do about it now. What they need to focus on is to ensure this doesn't cause long-term damage to Pakistan. Lining up Bangladesh to play is a start. They should try to line up a few other teams. The best way to prove Australia wrong is to host an incident-free tournament (which preferably has a non-subcontinental team playing as well). What I wouldn't give to have an England, New Zealand, or South Africa come here for a ODI series and justify that Pakistan was safe for cricket. I must say, try as I might, I can't help but resent CA's decision. I don't think I will be that excited to play them in the future…whenever that day comes.

 

[Sanz]

This clearly sends a message to the cricketing world about Pakistan's standing in the world cricket now, both from a cricketing as well as administrative perpestive.

They have no leadership at any level, no talent to represent their future and obviously no representation in the world cricket whatsoever. The best team just refused to tour your country and your captain has no reaction to it. Their best players (Yousuf, Younis Khan and Asif) do not even seem to care. And needless to say there isn't much word from the general fan as well. Just pathetic leadership from them.

I remember in the 90s when India refused to tour Pakistan, Pakistani fans, cricketers, administrators and media reacted with much more enthusiasm and anger, even if that included some provoking Indian fans(and at times cricketers and governments) .But their indifference this time around is alarming and very dissapointing.

Pakistan cricket is dead for now and they themselves are to blame for their incompetent leadership. Needless to say that I as a fan am greatly dissappointed.

 

[duffer]

For once, BCCI should intervene and do something that's good for the game of cricket instead of good for themselves.

 

[Fusion]

This clearly sends a message to the cricketing world about Pakistan's standing in the world cricket now, both from a cricketing as well as administrative perpestive.

They have no leadership at any level, no talent to represent their future and obviously no representation in the world cricket whatsoever. The best team just refused to tour your country and your captain has no reaction to it. Their best players (Yousuf, Younis Khan and Asif) do not even seem to care. And needless to say there isn't much word from the general fan as well. Just pathetic leadership from them.

I remember in the 90s when India refused to tour Pakistan, Pakistani fans, cricketers, administrators and media reacted with much more enthusiasm and anger, even if that included some provoking Indian fans(and at times cricketers and governments) .But their indifference this time around is alarming and very dissapointing.

Pakistan cricket is dead for now and they themselves are to blame for their incompetent leadership. Needless to say that I as a fan am greatly dissappointed.

I think the fan anger/disappointment is there. At least that's what I have observed from talking to my friends/relatives and browsing some Pakistani forums. The rest of what you wrote I pretty much agree with. Kamran Akmal expressed some similar sentiments in his blog as well.

 

[silentstriker]

I think the fan anger/disappointment is there. At least that's what I have observed from talking to my friends/relatives and browsing some Pakistani forums. The rest of what you wrote I pretty much agree with. Kamran Akmal expressed some similar sentiments in his blog as well.

You mean Abbassi - I don't think Akmal has a blog?

 

[Fusion]

You mean Abbassi - I don't think Akmal has a blog?

Yeah my bad. It's hard enough for Akmal to keep wickets, I shudder to think what would happen if he had the added responsibility of blogging on Pak cricket.

 

[Richard]

Hahaha, Fus.

Anyways, think Kamran Abbasi speaks wise words, as usual. Nothing terribly revelatory, of course, other than said fan anger that Sanz seems to have missed. But nothing to disagree with.

 

[TT Boy]

Shame Bangladesh are not fulfilling Australia's complete tour itinerary. They need all the test practice they can get, whilst, Pakistan similarly are playing as much test cricket in the next twelve months that New Zealand have been playing for the past few years i.e. hardly any.

 

[Richard]

Neither Pakistan nor Bangladesh are going to get any on-field benefits from this (in all likelihood) any more than they or their opposition have benefited from any "Test" series in the last 7 years.

 

[Fusion]

Shame Bangladesh are not fulfilling Australia's complete tour itinerary. They need all the test practice they can get, whilst, Pakistan similarly are playing as much test cricket in the next twelve months that New Zealand have been playing for the past few years i.e. hardly any.

I agree. While Test cricket with Bangladesh is hardly going to get anyone in the stands, it will at least be Test cricket. It is shocking how thin Pak's test itinerary is. For that matter, what's NZ doing in the next few months? I would love for the PCB to work out a Test series with them.

 

[Richard]

NZ tour over here very shortly after we finish in NZ. And even Pakistan are not yet playing cricket in July... are they?

 

[Fusion]

NZ tour over here very shortly after we finish in NZ. And even Pakistan are not yet playing cricket in July... are they?

Nah, I was hoping for the March/April time frame. Wasn't really sure what NZ's commitments were.

 

[Richard]

Well this series lasts another 2 weeks, which is nearly the end of March. And IIRR their tour starts in late-April, and obviously there needs to be some sort of break.

Are you really in favour of playing in Pakistan in April BTW? I've heard learned meteorologists term playing (and even watching) cricket in such temperatures, without a hint of hyperbole, "life-threatening".

 

[Burgey]

It's only unsafe for Australia. Bangladesh will be touring instead in the same timeslot, and every other country has toured Pakistan...except Australia. I've said my thoughts in this thread, so I won't repeat them.

I just hope it'll come back to bite them hard very soon. I hope Pakistan cricket can move forward and the losses from this aren't be too significant. For once, BCCI should intervene and do something that's good for the game of cricket instead of good for themselves.

Only to have their own threat to go home if a player got suspended thrown back in their face, surely.

If anyone's going to do something (and I have already said I thought the tour should go on) it needs to be the ICC. I don't see how other boards getting into it will help.

Anyways, wouldn't the BCCI now be happy that there are more Australian players now around for the IPL? I know it sounds cynical, but we are talking about cricket administrators here.

 

[silentstriker]

Only to have their own threat to go home if a player got suspended thrown back in their face, surely.

Yup, and it should be thrown back in their face because that was a ridiculous thing to do. That type of threat is immature and completely over the top and should be discouraged very very strongly. That still doesn't mean they should stand idly by in other cases.

I don't see how other boards getting into it will help.

Well, I don't see the tour being started up again, if thats what you mean. But they can make life financially more difficult, which might send a message in the future for doing something unilaterally like that. Every country has toured Pakistan except Australia.

Anyways, wouldn't the BCCI now be happy that there are more Australian players now around for the IPL? I know it sounds cynical, but we are talking about cricket administrators here.

Actually, they aren't, considering they already almost got involved. They have a very close relationship with the PCB.

 

[jeevan]

For the BCCI - whether to support PCB or Australian player participation in IPL is an interesting conundrum.

For one, the main job of the foreign players was to generate the hype. That is done.

For another, there will be some Australian big names: Warne, McGrath, Watson, anyway.

Then: it is a T20. Very likely Gambhir ~> Ponting and Yusuf Pathan ~> Symonds in this format. So the actual utility of those players to the tournament may be less than it would seem from their price tag.