KARACHI: Pakistan’s cricket chiefs continued to delay the departure of their men’s and women’s teams to India even as the International Cricket Council (ICC) decided on Wednesday to move the Pakistan-India match of this month’s World Twenty20 from Dharamsala to Kolkata.
David Richardson, the ICC chief executive, announced in Delhi that the marquee game of the tournament has been shifted to Eden Gardens in Kolkata because of security apprehensions.
However, ICC’s move fell short of convincing Pakistan to send their teams to India where the World Twenty20 rolled into action on March 8.
In a statement, Pakistan Cricket Board welcomed ICC’s decision to relocate the March 19 match against India but made it clear that it needs security assurances before allowing its teams to go to India.
“The PCB welcomes ICC’s decision of shifting the Pakistan vs India game scheduled in Dharamsala on 19th March, to Kolkata. The PCB had earlier conveyed to ICC and BCCI of its constraints to play in Dharamsala as was also a recommendation by the Security delegation of Pakistan that visited India recently.
“The PCB has also today conveyed to ICC and BCCI that our government is expecting an assurance to Pakistan against specific threats to the Pakistan team from various political parties and groups during the tour. Pending this assurance and in accordance with the recommendation by the Security delegation, the PCB has decided to defer the departure of Pakistan men and women teams to India,” the statement concluded.
Earlier in the day, Richardson ended weeks of uncertainty over the much-awaited match, which began with the Himachal Pradesh chief minister saying his government would not be able to provide adequate security for the game.
“The decision to relocate the match has been made for security reasons,” Richardson. “The concerns initially arose following alleged public comments recently reported by the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, warning of demonstration and attempts to disrupt the peaceful conduct of the match. Our concerns relate both to uncertainty as to the level of those threats as well as the level of commitment to implement any security plan developed to mitigate such treats.
“The decision was not taken lightly. The ICC and the BCCI understand the disappointment that is likely to be felt by many over the decision to move the match. But the safety and security of the event is of paramount importance to the ICC and we have taken into consideration the concerns shared with us by our security advisors as well as Pakistan Cricket Board.
“As far as those who have purchased tickets online for the match, they will be offered the choice of a full refund or the opportunity to exchange their tickets for ones for the Kolkata match.
“Finally, I would like to confirm that the ICC has been assured by all relevant state authorities that all adequate security measure are in place and will be implemented to ensure that the event is staged in a safe and secure environment for all stakeholders.”
Though the PCB had always expressed reservations about playing in Dharamsala once the issue began, the BCCI and the ICC remained confident the game would go ahead as planned. However, the problems came to a head this week after a three-man security delegation from Pakistan inspected the venue and was unhappy with the preparations. Their report to the PCB on Tuesday recommended that Pakistan not play at the venue, and the ICC announced the change in venue the next day.
According to the ICC’s pre-tournament schedule, Pakistan were due to hold press conferences on Wednesday and Thursday — involving the women’s and men’s teams, respectively — but it remains to be seen what impact their current non-travelling stance will have.