Union Minister Anurag Thakur has given a fillip to BCCI and asserted Indian cricket’s might

Sports & Youth Affairs Minister Anurag Thakur has rightly supported the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI’s) stand on the Asia Cup. Regarding the Asia Cup 2023, which was scheduled to be held in Pakistan, BCCI secretary Jay Shah earlier had expressed reluctance to send the Indian team to Pakistan. The last time India last toured Pakistan was in 2006. He favoured a neutral venue for Asia Cup, which is not unprecedented, adding that the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has decided that the team will not travel to Pakistan. Shah also happens to be the president of the ACC. Unsurprisingly, the decision has been hugely resented by the Pakistanis. Former players Saeed Anwar and Shahid Afridi were unhappy over the ACC decision. In an official statement, the Pakistan Cricket Board expressed its “surprise and disappointment” over Shah’s comments about shifting Asia Cup to a neutral venue. It alleged that the “comments were made without any discussion or consultation with the Board of the Asian Cricket Council or the Pakistan Cricket Board [the event host] and without any thoughts towards their long-term consequences and implications.” It is always easy to accuse others of improper behaviour but a little introspection by the PCB, indeed by all Pakistanis, will do some good to them—and to the entire world. If the BCCI and other cricket boards are unwilling to send their teams to Pakistan, the Pakistanis should blame themselves, not others. They must remember the terrorist attack in Lahore on the visiting Sri Lankan team in March 2009.

As the Sri Lanka team moved towards the Gaddafi Stadium to play the third Test, a dozen armed men fired at their bus and the minivan behind it carrying the match officials. Pakistan’s security forces countered the attack, resulting in the death of six Pakistan officials and two civilians. Nine Lankan players, among others, were injured. The Pakistan Air Force helicopters airlifted the entire Lankan squad from the stadium. They took the first flight available to their country. An upshot was the International Cricket Council’s decision to deprive Pakistan of the 2011 World Cup hosting rights. The State, society, and Islamists of Pakistan have made it one of the most dangerous countries in the world; bombings and shootouts may be normal for Pakistani players and PCB officials; they are not for others. Minister Thakur’s support for the BCCI couldn’t have come at a better time. He has done well by ignoring the PCB threat that it may boycott the PCB. He has given a fillip to the BCCI and asserted Indian cricket’s might: “India is a sporting powerhouse, where many World Cups have been organised.” In the case of cricket, it is certainly true. The BCCI is the richest cricket governing body in the world; there is no reason for it to be cowed down by the PCB. However, BCCI bosses must also ensure that there is consistency in their stand over cricketing relations with Pakistan.