After doing everything to ensure that the second Test between India and Australia is not moved out of the city after the recent blasts, the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) committed a faux pas by not paying respects to the victims on Saturday —day one of the match. The HCA rectified the mistake on Sunday.
Whenever a match is played in the backdrop of a terror attack or the demise of a prominent personality, the entire stadium, including players from both teams, stand up to remember the departed.
Blame it on the pressure to get the security arrangements in place or plain forgetfulness, the HCA got its priorities wrong. However, it did get everyone to observe a two-minute silence before the start of play on Sunday. The Indian players lined up first before Michael Clarke led his troops out.
“There was lack of coordination because we were so stressed in ensuring that the security arrangements were foolproof,” HCA secretary MV Sridhar was quoted as saying. A BCCI official stopped short of blaming the HCA by saying the players were ready to honour the victims of the Dilsukhnagar blasts on the first day itself.
@DAbrahamm
