KARACHI, 23 February 2004 — Former players and cricket officials from Karachi yesterday voiced disappointment that the port city has been ignored in the next month’s historic cricket series with India and vowed to lodge a protest over the decision.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announcing a final itinerary of the five One-Day Internationals and three Tests on Saturday said only one-day games will be in Karachi and Peshawar for security reasons.
“The PCB had knelt down before India and by not including Karachi as the Test venue have taken dictation from the BCCI,” Sirajul Islam Bukhari, secretary Karachi City Cricket Association, said.
BCCI said the decision to drop Karachi and Peshawar over security fears was taken on an Indian government’s advice following a visit by its delegation which assessed security in Pakistan last week.
Karachi has a history of ethnic violence and bomb blasts while the northwestern city of Peshawar is termed dangerous due to its close proximity to Afghanistan. A suicide bomb blast outside New Zealand team hotel in May 2002 which killed 12 people forced the tourists to abandon their tour.
Bangladesh played a Test and a one-day game in Karachi and one Test in Peshawar last year but South Africa and New Zealand refused to play at the two venues over security fears. England was the last Western team to play a Test in Karachi in December 2000. “Karachi is safe for Indian blind team which is due to play two matches here,” said Bukhari. Bukhari said his association officials will meet the provincial governor to lodge a protest but he ruled out a boycott of the one-day game scheduled in Karachi on March 13.
“Boycott would be a drastic decision and in the best interest of the country we would not boycott the only match given to Karachi,” the KCCA official said.
Former Pakistan captain Hanif Mohammad said he was disappointed over India’s decision of rejecting Karachi. “I am disappointed, Indians should have been bold enough to play in Karachi which is the premier center of the country,” said Hanif, who featured in the first Indo-Pak series in 1952.
PCB chief executive Rameez Raja defended the decision saying that “had we pressed for Karachi and Peshawar the tour might have been called off.” The Indian team arrives in Lahore on March 10 for their first tour of Pakistan for 15 years and play the first of the five-game one-day series in Karachi on March 13.
Pakistan Outclass India in Second Blind Match
Blind Pakistani cricketers again outclassed India in a big scoring match to go up 2-0 in the one-day match series in Karachi yesterday.
Muzaffar Ali hit a brilliant 87 to steer Pakistan to a four-wicket win. Pakistan won the first of the five-match series by seven wickets in Lahore on Friday.
India amassed 348-5 in the 39 overs bowled by Pakistan with Rajinder Verma hitting a magnificent 138 while Chandrashekhar Naik scored 60. Pakistan chased the target in an aggressive manner right from the outset with Mohammad Fayyaz (51) and Muzaffar Ali (87) compiling a first wicket stand of 123.
Mohammad Nawaz made 50 as Pakistan reached 350-6 in 35.5 overs. The third match will also be played in Karachi on Tuesday.
Blind cricketers use a plastic ball packed with small metallic beans, which helps players track its movement. The bowler sends down deliveries under-arm and the batsman takes a swipe, most often what would be a sweep shot in regular cricket. The rest of the match is similar to the regular game.
