With the Indian government canceling its cricket tour to Pakistan in the wake of terrorist attacks in Mumbai, cricket loving expatriates from India and Pakistan have expressed their displeasure over the decision. “This is going to destroy the beauty of the game. We are very sorry to hear the decision,” said Hassan Kabir, Vice chairman of Saudi Cricket Center (SCC), who is from Pakistan. Hassan, however, admitted that the situation between the two countries is very delicate and one cannot take a chance. Saudi Arabia Cricket Board, which has members from both countries, called a special meeting to “express displeasure of this conservative decision.” The SABC chairman, Abdul Qadeer Mirza, who is also president of Riyadh Cricket Association, said India's decision would kill the spirit of the international cricket. “Our board has both Indian and Pakistani players who play here as one team and all of them are highly displeased.” India was to play three Tests, five One-Day Internationals and a Twenty-20 match during the five-week tour during Jan. 6-Feb. 19. The decision to cancel the tour was taken following a request by the Indian Cricket Control Board, which said that tour was not possible after the Mumbai incidents. SABC's Mirza said that since India is yet to prove Pakistan's hand in the Mumbai incident, it should not have canceled the tour. The Indian decision is going to put Pakistan in a serious spot as Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will face major financial losses. It is estimated that Pakistan will lose nearly Rs1.55 billion and the PCB will lose a huge chunk of $140.5 million in a television rights deal. Most of the expats involved in cricket activities in the Kingdom were of the view that politics was killing the spirit of the game. “Cricket should be kept away from politics,” said an Indian, Aijaz Ahmed Khan, a committee member and media in-charge of Jeddah Cricket Association. “This situation will harm the relations between peoples of the two countries as also it can have a negative bearing on the cricket players.” Dr. Syed Ziauddin, another Indian and an executive committee member of Jeddah Cricket League, also thinks that India's tour of Pakistan should have gone forward. “The security reason is just an excuse. In fact, the tour was canceled due to political reasons. If England can tour India in such a situation, then why can't India do the same (by going to Pakistan),” he asked. Cricketers here are not ready to buy India's allegation that the militants who had attacked Mumbai had come from Pakistan. “The reasons for canceling the tour are not appropriate ... it is depressing,” said Nadeem Nadvi, CEO of Saudi Cricket Center, who is from India. “Cricket is being politicized, but these circumstances cannot go on very long as there are avid cricket fans in both countries.” Nadvi said that since the eight teams of IPL include many Pakistani cricketers, it would not be possible to stop this enormous money-making tournament. Zahid Ali, a Pakistan citizen and president of Madina Cricket Association, said terrorists have achieved their objective by India's decision. “The terrorists did not just take innocent lives, they have also harmed international cricket.” Zahid had expected that the tour of the Indian team would not be possible because of the delicate situation. Hence, Pakistan should not have been so optimistic, he said. Abdul Jabbar, an Indian and ex-president of Yanbu Cricket League and vice president of Central Cricket Board, is also not happy with the cancellation of the tour. “Cricket lovers of the world are upset and discouraged. The match between India and Pakistan has always been an interesting game for cricket lovers,” he said. Sikander Farooqui, a Pakistani and president of Eastern Province Cricket Association, stated that since both the countries are victims of terrorism, it was not a big deal for India to visit Pakistan. “Actually, Australia has canceled its Pakistan visit. The Indian team is following the same policy blindly.” Another Pakistani, Qasim Naqwi, executive advisor of Saudi Cricket Center, wondered if Sri Lankan team can visit Pakistan, then why not India? Dr. Abdul Rehman Khalil, a young Saudi cricketer, also thinks that cricket should be above politics. “A cricket series could further ease tensions between India and Pakistan,” he said.
