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ShareNew Delhi: An adverse intelligence advice stopped the military from sending its cricket team to Srinagar, defence sources have told DNA. But it is not clear if the warning pertained to a specific attack or was generally about a possible adverse situation.
The Ranji match, scheduled for Tuesday at the Sher-e-Kashmir stadium, was to be the first first-class cricket contest in the Valley in five years. The stadium has hosted two one-day internationals -- India vs West Indies in 1983 and India vs Australia in 1986. The last Ranji match in Srinagar was held in 2004 between Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) and Orissa.
The abrupt withdrawal of the Services' team led to strong reactions, with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) banning them from Ranji matches for a year. But the team on Tuesday apologised to BCCI, terming the withdrawal "an administrative slip-up".
It also offered to play the game if fresh dates were allocated. The apology was offered by the Services Sports Control Board, a body that coordinates sports activities of the military. However, the BCCI has stayed firm on the ban.
Before the apology, Union minister and J&K cricket association chief Farooq Abdullah said he would take up the matter with the prime minister. "To hell with them for that. Services are saying Kashmir is not normal... Is this how we project Kashmir globally?
What message will it send?" he said.
The Services' trip was called off at the last moment after "some warning" from the army's northern command in Udhampur, a military source said. Another source said situation analysis by intelligence pointed at "adverse crowd response".
