So is India safe to tour or is it just a media beat-up?

[Matt79]

Don't trust sports administrators in any sport or country to have the fortitude to withstand a genuine media **** storm without resorting to precipitate overreaction.

 

[Matt79]

RSA are here and they seem just fine. We had England over here just after the Mumbai attacks and they were fine... Why is there suddenly a question mark? Just because Shiv Sena and a few other nutcases said so?

Bomb in Pune wouldn't have helped.

RSA simply aren't a target in the way UK and Aus are.

 

[Zinzan]

I give my perspective as an armchair fan, but I'm not a professional cricketer, so maybe my views would be different. So for those that are not Indian, would you have no problem touring India? I know what SS might say, but he's an ex-pat and knows the place a lot better then what I do.

Was merely providing commentary on the radio Interview featuring NZ Player's Association spokesman Heath Mills. It's kind of irreverent whether you & I would like to visit India or even whether the so-called threats are valid.

I'm just repeating what Mills said, which was that both the NZ & overseas players (to his knowledge) would much rather be going to SA or Eng. Having said that, he did imply that the big money up for grabs would likely anesthetise the risk somewhat

 

[honestbharani]

That is basically a stupid argument because I don't think the terrorists here are gonna differentiate. It seems pretty clear from the statements of certain groups that their only intention is to ensure nobody tours India, and we share the same fate as Pakistan.

 

[Sir Alex]

I think franchises will be forced to include "risk" into the player wages in the next auction. It is not as if the current salary structure is scientific.

 

[Craig]

Was merely providing commentary on the radio Interview featuring NZ Player's Association spokesman Heath Mills. It's kind of irreverent whether you & I would like to visit India or even whether the so-called threats are valid.

I'm just repeating what Mills said, which was that both the NZ & overseas players (to his knowledge) would much rather be going to SA or Eng. Having said that, he did imply that the big money up for grabs would likely anesthetise the risk somewhat

Fair enough.

 

[silentstriker]

Lalit Modi hits out at FICA and Ponting | Cricket News | Indian Premier League 2010 | Cricinfo.com

That's all good & well, however the IPL games could well be one of those 'hot-spot's' you refer to if there is any truth to this intelligence we're hearing about.

You can bet your bottom dollar that most overseas players would prefer it to be played in SA or England if the Interview with NZ players association member Heath Mills was anything to go by.

Of course they would. England is obviously safer than India would be, the nightlife is better, you have more freedom of movement between games, etc. Not really the point though, is it? It's an Indian tournament with Indian fans making up 90% of the revenue, it would be brand suicide to make a habit of hosting it outside India. They found that out very quickly last year when the TV ratings plummeted. Ratings would be higher with no overseas players while IPL is in India, vs. all overseas players outside of India.

The point is if its not held in India this year, it'll never be held in India again. These threats in India happen every day. They are not going to dissapear next year, or the year after that. Either you accept the risk and come, or you choose not to come. Both decisions are fine, and up to the players, as they should be. However, if the IPL wants to stay in business (and tru$t me, they do), they cannot keep hosting it away from their primary fans.

As Modi mentioned in that article, the players who choose not to come will likely be banned from IPL in the future for the simple reason that security risks will be the same next year, and the year after that. There is no point in franchises wasting time a millions of dollars trying to build a team around them and then constantly having to worry about 'will they, won't they' every year.

We're talking about life changing money for some of these guys, especially guys from countries like West Indies, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka. Cricketers from non India, England and Australia still face the prospect of poverty after their cricketing careers are over, and they end up being 40 with no skills - IPL provides some of them the chance to have some financial security. I think you'll find that many players will probably take that chance, and that's all Modi needs. If none come, they all won't be banned, but if some come - and they will - he will joyfully ban the rest.

It'll be interesting to see if the SL players come - especially with what happened to them in Pakistan.

 

[jeevan]

As long as he's on the phone twice a day with Warne, Lalit Modi is on the money here. Because of Warne producing, directing and acting in the most interesting sub-plot of IPL - he is the one player (foreign or domestic) that really matters.

IPL is mostly about providing entertainment to the Indian masses. Now that they've a bit of money in their pockets, they'd like something else along with Bollywood. Incidentally, those familiar with the product from that factory will be aware of how many people with real talent are needed to keep the rate-payers in good spirit. This is where Modi is right, a few people here and there along with SRT,Dhoni,Yuvi,Sehwag can put on a good show.

IPL, Bollywood, India cannot be beholden to Ilyas Kashmiri, Syed Shahzad (the journalist, who for all you know can be making all of this up) or frankly even the FICA. Foreign players must think of their own safety first, of course, but life in India has to go on. And if, say, a Ponting pulls out and it results in a really big pay day for Kamran Khan (yes apples:oranges) - the world is a better place.

 

[jeevan]

BTW, for the one or two bigoted assholes on this board - Kamran Khan's name came to mind immediately because of the very poignant story in IPL2. Warne (or someone on his staff) picked this guy from nowhere and gave him a $25K contract. Had that happened a year earlier, he said he'd be able to save his mother as they couldn't afford medical care for her.

Ilyas Kashmiri can go **** himself with his jihad bull****.

 

[Shaggy Alfresco]

I don't think anyone would deny there is a threat of terrorism when touring India, a very, very small threat, but it is there nonetheless. While I wouldn't refuse to tour the country because of a tiny chance of being hurt by terrorists, I also wouldn't criticise cricketers who would refuse to tour. It's their own safety, and their own decision.

The whole situation is a shame, really.

 

[Burgey]

Wasn't a safe place to tour for the SA bowlers yesterday tbf.

 

[Fusion]

I use to be one of the posters on here who would get riled up whenever a team would talk about not touring the subcontinent due to security concerns. I thought they were misinformed at best and hypocritical at worst. The attacks on the Sri Lankan team changed my views completely. I can no longer fault ANY player who is hesitant about touring ANY country because of security reasons. I would hope that during my lifetime things would stabilize enough in Pakistan that cricket tours will resume. But if there are no teams touring Pakistan for the next 50 years, I will be very saddened, but will completely understand. I personally believe that India is safe to tour, but I only have my opinion to go on. I have no hard facts and no real grasp of the security threat. I used to think Pakistan was perfectly safe to tour as well and while it may be unfair to compare India's situation to Pakistan's, the fact is that one incident has cast doubts in the minds of everyone involved. I think in this particular case, there should be some flexibility shown by the IPL to players who are hesitant about touring. While I understand cancelling their contracts if they don’t tour, I think talk about “banning” them for life is harsh. In this present environment, safety concerns must be taken seriously and I don’t think any such threats should be made by the IPL organizers.

 

[silentstriker]

I use to be one of the posters on here who would get riled up whenever a team would talk about not touring the subcontinent due to security concerns. I thought they were misinformed at best and hypocritical at worst. The attacks on the Sri Lankan team changed my views completely. I can no longer fault ANY player who is hesitant about touring ANY country because of security reasons. I would hope that during my lifetime things would stabilize enough in Pakistan that cricket tours will resume. But if there are no teams touring Pakistan for the next 50 years, I will be very saddened, but will completely understand. I personally believe that India is safe to tour, but I only have my opinion to go on. I have no hard facts and no real grasp of the security threat. I used to think Pakistan was perfectly safe to tour as well and while it may be unfair to compare India's situation to Pakistan's, the fact is that one incident has cast doubts in the minds of everyone involved. I think in this particular case, there should be some flexibility shown by the IPL to players who are hesitant about touring. While I understand cancelling their contracts if they don’t tour, I think talk about “banning” them for life is harsh. In this present environment, safety concerns must be taken seriously and I don’t think any such threats should be made by the IPL organizers.

Iagree with the fact that no one should tour if they don't feel safe, but I think banning might be the only recourse left considering IPL franchises may not want to worry about it. If they won't tour this year, the same thing will come up next year. These threats are not simply going to disappear.

 

[Fusion]

Iagree with the fact that no one should tour if they don't feel safe, but I think banning might be the only recourse left considering IPL franchises may not want to worry about it. If they won't tour this year, the same thing will come up next year. These threats are not simply going to disappear.

Why can't the security risk be assessed on a year by year basis? Security situations around the world constantly changes. To take an extreme example, the situation in Iraq has improved drastically from only 2 to 3 years ago. The threat assessment for India, which is relatively low to begin with, might also decrease further in a year's time. So why impose a life-time ban? That's just petty IMO.

 

[G.I.Joe]

all this talk of security assessments is pointless imo. put simply, there will never be any fool proof guarantee. you could have all the security you want, all it takes is a sniper up in an apartment along the route to accomplish what they need. the players' associations are the most useless parties here. its a case of them inventing roles for themselves to further justify their existence and make themselves seem relevant to an issue they have no expertise in. too many cooks spoil the broth, and this is most relevant as far as security plans are concerned. fica needs to realise they're of no help.

 

[Streetwise]

all this talk of security assessments is pointless imo. put simply, there will never be any fool proof guarantee. you could have all the security you want, all it takes is a sniper up in an apartment along the route to accomplish what they need. the players' associations are the most useless parties here. its a case of them inventing roles for themselves to further justify their existence and make themselves seem relevant to an issue they have no expertise in. too many cooks spoil the broth, and this is most relevant as far as security plans are concerned. fica needs to realise they're of no help.

Correct me if I'm wrong but isnt the players association responsible for putting forward the players concerns and what you are saying is that the players input into their own safety is useless.

Should the players just blindly do and accept whatever the people who are interested only in profit ask them to do.

 

[silentstriker]

Why can't the security risk be assessed on a year by year basis? Security situations around the world constantly changes. To take an extreme example, the situation in Iraq has improved drastically from only 2 to 3 years ago. The threat assessment for India, which is relatively low to begin with, might also decrease further in a year's time. So why impose a life-time ban? That's just petty IMO.

Nah, you think there'll be any shortage of a random militant group putting out a press release? Doubtful. That's what it took.

 

[jeevan]

Why can't the security risk be assessed on a year by year basis? Security situations around the world constantly changes. To take an extreme example, the situation in Iraq has improved drastically from only 2 to 3 years ago. The threat assessment for India, which is relatively low to begin with, might also decrease further in a year's time. So why impose a life-time ban? That's just petty IMO.

Well one reason is that it gives the terrorist swine an annual opportunity to make announcements.

 

[G.I.Joe]

Correct me if I'm wrong but isnt the players association responsible for putting forward the players concerns and what you are saying is that the players input into their own safety is useless.

Should the players just blindly do and accept whatever the people who are interested only in profit ask them to do.

well, putting forward their concerns is the easy part, and doesnt require a players asscn to do it. its not a complicated process getting a press release out to that effect. what is important though is being in a position where you are in a position to bring something to the table. the ipl has supposedly been updating the players' agents on the situation, which makes the associations pretty irrelevant.

 

[Streetwise]

well, putting forward their concerns is the easy part, and doesnt require a players asscn to do it. its not a complicated process getting a press release out to that effect. what is important though is being in a position where you are in a position to bring something to the table. the ipl has supposedly been updating the players' agents on the situation, which makes the associations pretty irrelevant.

Communication through the media, sorry I just cant see how that would be a sensible way or the players to express their concerns.