Column

Memonics

There is an undeniable touch of heroism to the England players resuming their cricket tour of India.

Who would have thought that they would have returned after the one-day series was truncated after the dastardly terrorist attack in Mumbai in late November? In the period since, the debate has been intense, with many players — current and past — spelling out the pros and cons, and I find it quite remarkable that within a fortnight everything has been settled in favour of this tour, India and international sport.

In many ways, this gesture could also become an example of how the world of sport can cope with terrorism. The cynical might argue about the clout that the Indian establishment wields in international cricket today, the even more cynical will say that since most of the money is to be made here, players are more likely to put greed before fear of life. But that logic is spurious and misses the point.

True, everybody wants dosh, but very, very few would be willing to risk their life for it. There are some excruciating circumstances in which no amount of money is good enough, and I believe we reached that situation in the last few days when the terrorists struck Mumbai, in many ways, still the home of Indian cricket.

It takes a heck of a lot of courage for players, who were indirect participants in the sordid drama having been here when it started and would have watched every bit since then wherever they have been to decide that they still want to come back. This suggests a new sensibility, I believe.

Had a second string England team come here under duress, it would not have been quite the same thing. But all the frontline players — and taking this decision of their own volition — reflects a new-found maturity which suggests that terrorism is an unfortunate fact of modern life and must be faced head-on, not run away from.

That would, of course, now leave the Pakistan board asking why teams are reluctant to tour their country (no team went to Pakistan in 2008), and riddles international cricket with its biggest dilemma. By plain logic, if England agree to come here now, India touring Pakistan early next year should be a given. But these are not plain times.

Unfortunately, the terrorist attacks in Mumbai recently have thrown up so many uncomfortable political questions about Pakistan it seems highly unlikely the Indian Government would allow its team to cross the border at this point in time. This could only worsen the ‘unofficial’ boycott of Pakistan cricket, and leave it in the wilderness it doesn’t deserve. Cricket authorities there would be hoping England’s current recent decision would embolden and encourage other teams to buck that trend.

They are a cricket-mad country too, and with such astonishing and abundant natural talent, that it would be a pity if this is lost. In a sport played by so few countries, to lose a major side could be debilitating. Indian cricket, which has benefited so much from its counterparts across the border in the recent past, must now stretch its influence to the limit to see how Pakistan cricket can be salvaged.

Meanwhile, let’s pay our tribute to the England team which is here, and take fresh guard for what promises to be an absorbing series.