England / India

England will probably play the Tests in India

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This probably doesn’t warrant an update all of its own and it probably doesn’t need saying, but if England were touring Pakistan and Karachi had been attacked, the Tests would be more off than last year’s milk in the midday sun.

We’re not saying that England should be touring. We’re not saying they shouldn’t be touring. We’re just saying that there’s one rule for one and another rule for the other and the difference between the two is nowt but cash.

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19 comments

  2. Why is there a deafening silence (elsewhere than KingCricket) about the difference in attitude towards India and Pakistan, two troubled countries which are, I believe, quite close together? It doesn’t seem to matter to anyone particularly that Pakistani cricket seems to be being allowed to die on its arse.

  5. There’s only a silence on my blog because I know when to not have an opinion…

    If I were to dare to have one I’d say that Lalit Modi is probably the point of difference. Not money itself, but that snivelling scroat that wants it all.

  6. He’s an evil genius with an army of henchmen, and he’s well trained in the art of kidnap… Lalit Modi is applying gentle pressure!

  9. more off than last year’s milk in the midday sun.

    You have sun at midday? How quaint.

    Are they moving the T20 championship to Pakistan? India’s not safe anymore.

  10. No-one (apart from me) seems to comment on our own hypocrisy in this regard – when London was attacked, twice, in 2005, there was no question of postponing or cancelling the Ashes.

    The second of those attacks took place on the first day of the first Ashes test!

    I felt at the time that the authorities were right to carry on, but I struggle to see the difference in principle.

  11. Cricket tours are the least of concerns in India at this moment. Actually, in some newspapers sports was reduced to half a page (very rare, especially after an Indian victory).

    But to all who sees a double standard in Test matches being contemplated, please visit http://greatbong.net/2008/11/28/indias-nine-eleven/.

    To summarize that, what the author says is that India is fighting an enemy outside its borders, while Pakistan’s enemies are within.

  13. No-one (apart from me) seems to comment on our own hypocrisy in this regard – when London was attacked, twice, in 2005, there was no question of postponing or cancelling the Ashes.

    I get a little bit annoyed by the comparison of India/Pakistan currently to London in 2005, to be honest. Superficially, sure, a bombing equals a bombing, but superficial is as far as it goes. Both India and Pakistan are suffering from incipient and escalating domestic militant activity; in the latter, a former head of state was assassinated in public while the security services could do nothing, and large swathes of the northern part of the country are verging on uncontrollable. In the former, we’re witnessing running battles in a major city, in a country that’s suffered five major bombings this year alone, part of a pattern running back a number of years. Boatloads of terrorists arrived in Mumbai two days ago, and they still haven’t all gone. It’s just not the same at all.

    It’s not a difference in principle, it’s a difference in degree, and a perfectly real one at that. Plus, what were England supposed to do in 2005; fly home?

  14. Just a thought, but there are parts of India larger than the UK with larger populations which have never been bombed.

    Maybe we should compare with Europe. How dangerous is Europe for touring sides?

    Is this descending into flippancy? We fear it is.

  16. Did the 2004 Madrid train bombings affect you and your daily life at the time? It is easy to forget just how big and how diverse India is – thiniking Europe is right. It would be possible to hold the tests: but I’m damned If I’d trust Lait Modi to do it properly.

    In no way should players [considering the closeness of these terrorist events – ie the very hotel where they would have stayed – a different time scale and it very well could have been them!] be expected to make choices about going back to play] the circumstances for this event are very different to 2005.

    This should be one for neutral territory scheduling. That would piss off Modi big time!

  17. Besides, there is no way in hell England is going to win a game there in India, so they can save face by opting out of it. Call it blessing in disguise, eh?

  18. I was at University with a charming young man from Cameroon named Blessing. He used to wear dark glasses all the time, even when it wasn’t sunny. Naturally, I used to call him Blessing in Disguise.

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