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WEEKLY
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Saturday, July 26, 2008
Pakistan, with the support of India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, has been able to persuade the ICC to keep the eight-nation Champions Trophy competition in the country. This is a significant achievement, since, citing the security situation, England, Australia and New Zealand had all expressed concern over the staging of the event in the country. All three nations may choose to send in weaker sides with top players possibly refusing to make the trip. South Africa too has expressed discontent over the decision. There also is an apparent element of racist bias inherent in the stance taken by the four teams. This has cropped up before, is linked to the limited entertainment environment in Pakistan which makes it an unpopular destination and often takes the form of completely unjustified whining about hotels, transport and other facilities.
Quite often, spectacular hospitality makes up for the lack of bars, discos and night clubs. There is no reason to believe cricket stadiums would be a target for terrorists, though, naturally, stringent precautions are required. Now that Pakistan has secured the go-ahead to host what will be its biggest cricketing event since the 1996 World Cup, which it co-hosted with India, it must put in place a plan to ensure the September competition is staged in a streamlined and organized way. Efforts must also be made to persuade the players of the baulking countries.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
