KARACHI: Pakistan should have carried out a training session at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens on Thursday ahead of their opening game of the ICC World Twenty20 championship penciled in for March 16.
Instead they were forced to spend the day at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore anxiously awaiting any final word on whether or not they will be allowed to travel to India to feature in the tournament.
But a final decision was once again delayed as Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan announced on Thursday evening that only guarantees of foolproof security by the Indian government will lead to Pakistan’s participation in World Twenty20.
The Indians, however, fell short of offering Pakistan-specific guarantees which means that the uncertainty over whether Pakistan will take part in the event remained intact.
With just five days left before their first match of the tournament, Pakistani players weren’t too happy with the scenario.
“Despite all our efforts to stay focused, it is becoming more and more difficult to stay positive when you are even unsure about your participation in a particular tournament,” a player told ‘The News’ on the condition of anonymity.
He said that almost all his team-mates shared a similar feeling.
Sensing that all was not well in the Pakistani camp, Shaharyar Khan gave a pep talk to the national team on Thursday at the NCA.
Shaharyar Khan, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, briefed the players on the security situation in India. He said that the International Cricket Council and PCB are in constant contact, and he was hopeful that the security assurance would be given.
He appraised the team that the decision to visit India will be taken by the government. In case, the government allows travel to India, the team should focus on the game and demonstrate a high level of discipline and commitment.
Shaharyar backed the players to do well on and off the field, as they were the ambassadors of the country and the public had great expectation from them.
Intikhab Alam, Pakistan’s manager, thanked Shaharyar for backing the players. He reassured that there will be no compromise on the discipline and the players were looking forward to performing and fulfilling the expectations of public back home. He reiterated, even though Pakistan were in the strong group compromising Australia, New Zealand, hosts India and a qualifying team, it will give them courage to perform well in the tournament.
Meanwhile, Anurag Thakur, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) secretary reiterated that New Delhi is fully committed to provide adequate security to all the visiting teams.
“I want to say this very clearly to Pakistan that teams from all across the world are coming to India and we have also shifted the match to Kolkata (on March 19). If Pakistan wants an excuse then that is a different thing. But India is fully committed to provide adequate security to all teams as it has done in the past and will continue to do so in the future,” Thakur was quoted as saying by ANI.
Thakur, however, expressed his disappointment over Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh’s statement saying that it has damaged India’s reputation before the world.
Virbhadra had earlier expressed his aversion to the Indo-Pak match in his state after the ex-servicemen and families of slain army officials opposed to stage a match involving Pakistan in the wake of the recent Pathankot attacks.
“The comment made by the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister has not only damaged the state’s reputation but that of the entire nation. It is because of this that a very big match, which was scheduled to be held in Dharamsala, has now been shifted to Kolkata. Moreover, he created a controversy which allowed Pakistan to raise a question mark whether India is a safe place or not,” he added.
About providing security assurances to Pakistan Thakur said: “We don’t give green signals to each and every nation individually. The green signal is given for the entire tournament and the green signal is there (for the World T20). Pakistan should make up their mind and visit India to play the tournament. It is for them to decide. There are no security concerns from our end.”