Terrorism: Cricket’s New Challenge

By Rajadhyax

What Irish Republican Army could not achieve in England or LTTE could do not in Sri Lanka, the Al-Qaeda and Taliban nexus seems to have achieved in Pakistan and India. The mindless attack on the Lankan team in Pakistan has dealt a cruel blow that goes well beyond politics and stalls cricket on the sub-continent. Australia and New Zealand sides have always expressed their concern on security issues on virtually every tour to the sub-continent in recent times and this tragic incident only vindicates their stand.

The effects have been expectedly instantaneous. The IPL chief has transferred the cash rich league from India to South Africa while most boards have stated unequivocally of their inability to tour Pakistan in near future. The reputation of security forces here hangs in shame while cricket is the one clear loser amidst growing concern for players’ safety.

In the past terrorists in cricket used to go by the names of Harold Larwood, Wesley Hall, Malcolm Marshall, Michael Holding, Jeff Thompson, Bob Willis, Imran Khan or Patrick Patterson. They spread terror on green top wickets as batsmen felt scared of losing their abdomens just before losing their wickets. The fearsome quartet of the West Indies could put the best batting order in disarray even when the conditions were not supportive of pace bowling. They threw the red cherry consistently at speeds exceeding 90 mph and moved it both ways to make life difficult at the crease.

That changed in 2009. The ‘new’ terrorist decided to lob grenades and shoot bullets at cricketers that travelled at speeds exceeding 400 mph and the chill this time was felt not just by the batsmen. So what does the growing clout of AK-47 wielding terrorists mean to cricket? And can cricket, which weathered the storm of betting and match fixing allegations, survive this new threat to its very existence?

The threat of militancy to cricket first of all means cancellations of many fixtures in a knee jerk reaction on predictable lines. Neutral venues may become the order of the day. It also means a shocking reversal in that part of the world that generated the maximum revenue for the game, its players, broadcasters and the lot. This could slow down the cricket’s fast ascendancy towards becoming as popular globally as, say soccer. Afterall, in cricket loving countries – except England – the IPL had destroyed the television rating points (TRPs) even of the famous English Premier League of soccer.

Even when a semblance of normalcy returns in cricket here, players would hence forth work under dual pressures. The tensions of the game will be in unholy alliance with the perennially hanging sword of a security risk. While going from the hotel to the stadium, a guy would be worried first of reaching in one piece and then think of facing the scorching in-swingers of Ishant Sharma. And all of that says nothing of what their families and friends would go through back home.

Having said that, all is not lost! Pessimism is not a feature of cricketers and cricket lovers. Security forces will be asked to tighten their belts in all probability. Technology will rush in to save the day, as usual. Security gadgets will be in greater attendance. Bomb detection squads, trained dogs, snipers on roof tops, metal detectors, secret service officers and the works will enter in a bigger way into the stadiums. Cricket boards of Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka – three countries most directly victimised by militants – will naturally put their heads together and bring out new security strategies in close consultation with the security forces.

Cricketers will have very little option. To start with international stars may opt out of India or Pakistan tours. Even the prospect of entertaining B-teams from England or Australia is not quite unlikely. However, professionalism and career consciousness coupled with the state of their bank balances will compel the stars to play after a point of time. Sub-continental countries will close ranks. Hopefully rational thinking will return soon and cricket will continue in its full flourish in a region that calls it religion. So the wish out there in the hearts of millions of cricket fans is that the bat and ball will triumph over the gun and grenade. For the next few months then, let’s keep our fingers crossed.