I was watching ‘The Bank Job’ really late in the night, and, as I finished watching it, I got onto BBC and saw the news piece about the hostage situations in Mumbai. I was just too sleepy to read anything, so I heaved myself onto the bed and slept for nearly 10 hours.
The next morning, I wake up, and see that the BCCI and the ECB have decided to not play the rest of the ODIs. That was a really sensible decision. However, the fact that they wanted to play the Test matches came about as insensitive and stupid on the part of the BCCI.
I know, they have a lot of financial considerations at stake if they cancel the test series too, as they consider a tour by England the next best thing after Australia, and the cancellation could have serious financial consequences, but, COME ON!
It would be kinda stupid if they wanted to leave because of a bomb blast, as it happens nearly everywhere! But, a hostage situation? Damn, I would never even set foot in Mumbai, knowing that I could possibly be trapped in a hostage situation. Also, the fact that the England team had stayed there a few weeks ago really brought it down hard.
Just imagine if the 5th ODI had been held in Mumbai? They would’ve stayed in the Taj Mahal Hotel!
Simply relocating the venue to Chennai, or any other place, for that matter, isn’t gonna’ suffice. The BCCI shouldn’t, out of humane reasons, force the ECB to send a team, whatever the financial considerations may be. I’d prefer if Lalit Modi would’ve been in one of the hotels, so that he knows what it’d possibly feel like for the England players right now!
Lalit Modi also expects us to actually believe that the Champion’s League wasn’t postponed due to security problems! Who’s he trying to bullshit? I’m sure that the teams from Australia and South Africa would’ve raised the middle finger at Modi, and so would the like of Watson, Oram, Hayden and Hussey, who played for the Indian franchises. He really should consider moving the CL to a place like England, where there’s a huge Indian and Pakistani population out there!
Everything’s made all the more nerve-chilling by the fact that the terrorists were searching for people which had British passports! Just imagine, again, if the Englishmen were there. I’m sure that we wouldn’t be seeing them speaking in media conferences now!
The English players should be given the freedom to not tour if they don’t feel comfortable about it, and they shouldn’t be facing any repercussions as a result of doing so. In this sense, KP has acted really responsibly, saying that he wouldn’t control the England players once they’ve left the playing turf!
PS – The England kit is still at the Taj Mahal hotel……
Off Cutter 