Double Standards and Hypocrisy

Let’s be very clear about what just happened. Cricket New Zealand instructed its national team to leave Rawalpindi less than an hour before the toss in the first of a scheduled three-match ODI series which was to be followed by five T20Is. It was New Zealand’s first tour to Pakistan in 18 years.

New Zealand Cricket said they received a ‘credible threat’ to the safety of their players and ordered the players to leave immediately. Up to that point, it seemed a deeply unfortunate and regrettable consequence of the change of regime in neighbouring Afghanistan and the Taliban’s association with terrorism.

That view was questioned when it emerged that NZC had shared none of the details of the threat with their hosts, the PCB, and/or their security experts.

NZC chief executive David White said that specific details of the threat could not, and would not, be disclosed – privately or publicly. “What I can say is that we were advised this was a specific and credible threat against the team,” White said.

Naturally, this was ill-received by Pakistan who received the news a few days later that England had also pulled out of their scheduled visit next month: “New Zealand pulled out because of a bizarre security threat that wasn’t shared with our security agencies who are the most battle-hardened security forces in the world and now England have decided to pull out,” said newly installed PCB chairman, Ramiz Raja.

“Whatever sacrifices we made last season to help England during Covid-19 appear to have gone to waste so we have learnt a harsh lesson.

“We have no clue regarding New Zealand, as quoting security is a very easy option to wriggle out of a tour. Information wasn’t shared with us so that is why so many of us were frustrated with the way NZC withdrew from the tour,” Raja said.

“The Western cricketing bloc has decided not to tour Pakistan because of the perceived security threat and they are not willing to share it. It’s bizarre and disappointing and it’s a harsh lesson for us,” an exasperated Raja said.

“When it comes to the Pakistan Super League all these English players are quite happy to travel to Pakistan, but as a group suddenly they are spooked by the situation.” No less than 14 Englishmen, more than from any other nation, competed in the last PSL.

There is no evidence that England’s players were consulted on the cancellation of their tour and, cryptically, maybe cynically, the ECB never mentioned security in its statement confirming that they would not be travelling. Instead they cited players’ mental health and wellbeing and the effect of spending so long in bio-secure bubbles.

“We know there are increasing concerns about traveling to the region and believe that going ahead will add further pressure to a playing group who have already coped with a long period of operating in restricted Covid environments,” the ECB statement said.

Bear in mind the entire ‘tour’ was to have lasted four days with just a single day’s quarantine, two back-to-back T20Is and a travel day home. The entire trip would have been shorter than the six days of quarantine that England’s players had to fulfil before the resumption of the IPL in the UAE. And if the tour had gone ahead, it would have (theoretically) removed the England players from the play-off stages of the IPL.

“We are a resilient cricket nation, we'll survive and find a way, which we always do. This could be a mini roadblock for us, but we feel cheated. We'll raise our voice at the ICC. Hopefully this is just a blip and we will recover and we will fight back and survive,” Raja said, fully aware that this is not a ‘mini’ roadblock and has the potential to generate devastating repercussions for the game in the country.

“Pakistan toured England twice during Covid-19 and went through with all the difficulties associated with the tours and helped the ECB financially by touring. In return, when PCB needed their support, the ECB has turned their back on the PCB.

“It's time the Pakistan Cricket Board stopped being so generous, particularly to Boards who don't return the favour and help the PCB in its time of need,” Raja said.

Let’s rewind – a long way, to 2005. Four separate terrorist bombings in London claimed the lives of 52 people and injured many others. The Australian team was in England for what transpired to be one of the great Ashes series ever. Three days after the horror of the attacks, they played an ODI against England.

In June 2017, days before the ICC Champions Trophy, the London Bridge terror attack claimed the lives of another 11 people with over 50 seriously injured. Nobody left the UK and the tournament proceeded, with all matches completed.

Just a couple of days ago, according to NZC whose Women’s team is currently on tour in England, “…the ECB received a threatening email relating to NZC. Although this did not specifically reference the White Ferns it was treated seriously, investigated, and deemed not credible.”

The PCB’s chief executive, Wasim Khan, commands enormous respect having straddled the cultural divide between the countries. Born in England to Pakistani immigrant parents he forged a successful playing career with Warwickshire before spearheading the ‘Chance to Shine’ programme to grow the game amongst disadvantaged communities and then relocating to Pakistan.

“We feel a lack of respect as a proud nation of 230 million people who love cricket and who have sacrificed a lot over last 12 years to get cricket back and then it can be pulled from under our feet without any reason, discussion or sharing of information,” Khan said.

“It’s easy to walk out of countries like Pakistan without any reason, without dialogue, without any discussion. The inequality must stop in world cricket. Unless we do that, we aren’t going to have an even playing field both in treatment and finances,” Khan said.

“We've done everything asked of us, we've shown solidarity in cricket, our players have gone through hardship, 14 days quarantine in NZ and we toured after the Mosque attack in Christchurch. We've done everything we possibly could, and we expect fair treatment in return.

“We're saying ‘share that information, let's work collectively as a cricket family, let’s find a solution’ because at the moment there's an inequality which is ‘one rule for one and another rule for others’ – and that has to stop,” Khan said.

“If there was a threat then surely that threat is also to the civilians of Pakistan. So, are we saying that the lives of the civilians in Pakistan are any less important, or that the threat only applies to sports people?”

“If potential threats can't be discussed at a government-to-government level then we have a real problem in cricket. This is something that needs to be discussed amongst members to ensure, from a very basic courtesy and respect level, this isn’t allowed to happen.

“Embassies and High Commissions change their travel advisories when threat levels increase,” Khan said. Indeed, the British High Commission’s ‘security advisory’ made no change to its threat level.

“There were nine checkpoints to get into the ground. Those checkpoints ensured complete safety of fans before they arrived. Everything was in place from our side and those plans and protocols were given a clean bill of health by the NZ security expert,” Khan said.

The point of all of this is straightforward: security and terror threats aren’t going away. If we allow ourselves to be honest, they are only going to increase. Modern communication devices and techniques allow the most obnoxious of nobodies to compete for the professional security analysis time of experts with the most dangerous criminals. 

If the international game is to stabilise and remain on course just to complete its already bloated schedule, a radical change of approach will be required. If those players and officials who believe security in some countries is intrinsically more reliable than others, just ‘because’, they should consider alternative careers, if they can’t manage an alternative view of life and the world.