No threat to South Asia’s World Cup, says ICC boss
Kuldip Lal
The tense stand-off between India and Pakistan following the Mumbai
attacks will not affect the 2011 World Cup in the region, cricket’s
world chief said on Sunday.
“I am sure that the subcontinent will stage the World Cup,”
International Cricket Council (ICC) president David Morgan told
reporters on the sidelines of the India-England Test here.
“How the matches will be spread remains to be seen. That will depend
upon the current security advice then.” The Indian government last week
cancelled a scheduled Test tour of Pakistan following the Mumbai terror
attacks that left 172 people dead, including nine of the 10 gunmen, and
nearly 300 injured.
The four Test-playing nations in Asia — India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
and Bangladesh — are due to host the World Cup, cricket’s showpiece
event held every four years, in 2011.
“There has to be some concern about the next World Cup to be played
in those four countries,” said Morgan.
“But I am confident between the four countries we will have a very
good World Cup.”
India and Pakistan jointly organised the World Cup in 1987 and Sri
Lanka were added as hosts when the tournament returned to the
subcontinent in 1996.
Strife-torn Pakistan has been reduced to a pariah in world cricket.
Australia refused to tour in March and the ICC cancelled the
eight-nation Champions Trophy in September due to security concerns.
Even though the six-nation Asia Cup passed off without incident in
Lahore and Karachi, teams continued to shun Pakistan, who did not play
any Test cricket in 2008.
Morgan dismissed suggestions of double standards since a Test match
was currently being played in Mohali, which is 250 kilometres (155
miles) from the Pakistan border.
“Pakistan is a different country and, quite clearly, the security
experts believed it was safe and secure for England players to return to
India,” he said.
“That has not been the case in Pakistan in recent times. “For the
Champions Trophy, we had security assessment in Pakistan carried out by
the West Indies board, England, Cricket Australia and New Zealand.
“All of those boards were advised that it would not be appropriate
for their players to have gone to Pakistan.” England, who abandoned
their one-day series in India and flew home after the Mumbai blasts,
returned for two Test matches following security clearance from the
England and Wales Cricket Board.
Morgan also ruled out imposing financial penalties on India for
refusing to tour Pakistan. “I understand it was the Indian government’s
decision that the cricket team should not tour Pakistan,” he said.
“As per the ICC rules, this is acceptable non-compliance and there
would be no sanction against the Indian board.
“India and Pakistan are two separate countries. I am not prepared to
accept they can be coupled together on safety and security.
“The advice on security we have is that the considerations in the two
countries are somewhat different.”
MOHALI, India, Monday AFP
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