Bullets and blood; not bat and ball

A mere 15 minutes of mayhem and madness in Lahore was all that it took to bring the cricketing edifice tumbling down.

Call it destiny or fate or whatever, it was gratifying that the Sri Lankan team survived the terrorists’ bullets. Some of the players spilt blood even as the security personnel guarding their bus lost their lives. It was a moment in time when cricket stood battered and bloodied, and more significantly, the incident put in perspective the fact that sport and politics are inseparable.

This is not the forum to discuss which “hand” was responsible for the cowardly act or blame the Sri Lankans for exposing themselves by touring Pakistan.

The point rather is that terrorists thrive on misplaced sense of “duty” that has deep roots in politics. These brainwashed gunmen are like the remote-controlled torpedoes that snake under the waves, unseen and undetected to destroy the target – be it a ship or a human being. Thus, in the times that we live in, those who shout that sport should be kept away from politics are either ignorant or just foolish and naïve.

A couple of months ago, Kapil Dev and Imran Khan had insisted that the Indian team should proceed with the scheduled Pakistan tour that was eventually cancelled. Imran even gave a “personal guarantee” on the safety of the team! As the Lahore incident proved, Imran was nothing but a loud mouth before whom Indian television channels prostrate to get a byte of “wisdom”!

What he and the others seemed to forget is that sport lost all its innocence as far back as in 1936 when Hitler used the Berlin Olympics to highlight the “supremacy of Aryan race”.

The dictator unwittingly integrated sport into politics.

In the subsequent years, the American blacks marked the 1968 Olympics with their raised fist salute; four years later, Palestine terrorists gunned down Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics; the 1976, 1980 and 1984 Games were marred by politically-motivated boycotts.

Thus, historically, sport and politics have always gone hand in hand. Hence, any thoughts of keeping the two at a distance should be dispensed with.

In the context of the Lahore incident, we need to look beyond issues such as security. Sport is not immune or insulated from reality. At best, it is a pastime of a privileged few professionals. It is just another job that pays, and some sports offer career opportunities even if for a limited period during which the practitioners can line their little nests.

Under the circumstances, in the overall canvas of life, sport is a mere pinhead or less in terms of its significance, much like our planet is in the Universe. Hopefully, our cricketing authorities will have probably realised and appreciated that by now, while looking ahead.

The BCCI is waging an intense battle to save the IPL from postponement (read cancellation) and the arguments that they are putting forth, defy logic in the short term.

It is all fine to talk about using the IPL to project that India is a safe haven, but the sad reality is that it is not in the present scenario.

The ease and impunity with which violent acts are being committed exposes the frailty of the security and intelligence systems.

After the Lahore incident, neither the ICC nor the BCCI nor the IPL can claim that cricketers are not being targeted.

At the heart of the matter is money. The estimated “loss” through postponement or cancellation of the IPL is said to be about Rs 600 Crores, with over 50 per cent of the amount from TV advertisement revenues. I am with the government that is saying that it cannot guarantee “foolproof” security to the IPL players and teams in view of the general elections that coincide with the tournament.

The question to be asked is whether it is worth taking such a huge risk? The Indian cricketing authorities are past masters at revenue generation and I bet, they can devise means to make good the loss. So, the money can always be generated, but a life lost to a bullet or a bomb is a loss for good.

As for the players, it is a moot point whether they will be happy to be treated like glorified prisoners, living for six weeks under virtual “house arrest”, away from their adoring fans.

International sporting events these days are held under suffocating security blanket. It is uncomfortable to be subjected to repeated frisking and searches, and being watched all the time. I can say from experience that it is no more a joy to attend a cricket match.

Lastly, what about cricket itself?

The four Test-playing nations in the sub-continent are plagued by security concerns; England and the West Indies are reeling from Stanford scandal; Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are barely able to stay afloat. The ICC, at best, is indecisive.

Thus, if India that generates nearly 80 per cent of the revenues, is declared an unsafe cricketing destination, then it would not be long before cricket implodes as an international sport.

This is the thought that is driving the Indian cricketing authorities to rescue the 2009 IPL. Whether they would be able to have their way remains to be seen. But for the moment, it is all about blood and bullets and not so much bat and ball.