WELLINGTON: After the shock, comes the fear. Even as cricket is reconciling to an unsafe world, the players are now wondering if they can take the risk of going over to the subcontinent for a mere game, and a few dollars.
‘‘I’d need to have a rubber arm to go back there,’’ said New Zealand’s top all-rounder Jacob Oram here on Wednesday. He was only reacting to the prospect of going to Pakistan later this year, for a scheduled tour. ‘‘ I love playing cricket but I don’t want to go somewhere where my life can be in jeopardy.’’
Oram was merely echoing the sentiment running through cricketers around the world. On Tuesday, his skipper Daniel Vettori categorically stated that the tour to Pakistan was off; India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni too declared that no team would go next-door for at least a few years.
‘‘ A bomb went off outside our hotel a few years ago (in Pakistan),’’ reminded Oram. ‘‘ We haven’t been very keen to go back there since then. But what has now happened (to Sri Lanka) just confirms that it isn’t the safest place to go.’’
The NZ cricket association, however, was quick to step forward and clarify that the tour was still officially not off. ‘‘ After the tragic events on Tuesday , our tour to Pakistan in October-November appears very unlikely. But there is no final decision as yet,’’ said NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan.
‘‘ On another tour, another year it could well have been us,’’ said Oram, giving vent to the sense of helplessness among players. The fears, however , don’t stop at Pakistan’s doorsteps. Suddenly, India is not safe anymore either.
‘‘I don’t think I had any worries about going to India ever. However, after what happened in Mumbai (in November last year) there are definitely some questions to be asked. I won’t say not as yet. But if it gets worse, we will have to seriously look at it again,’’ he said.
Oram was, of course, referring to the lucrative IPL in April-May . Ironically, the tournament that changed the face of cricket, and the lives of many international players, might not even take place this year. The Indian government has already hinted that it might be a better idea to move it owing to the parliamentary elections.
‘‘The IPL has obviously opened doors for me financially that I could only dream of. But now I’m married and it would take a lot to turn a blind eye to what’s going on,’’ he said. Oram plays for Team Chennai, alongside Dhoni and Murali, among others.
Last year, the IPL had a circus feel to it. But events in India and Pakistan have meant that reality has hit home. ‘‘ We take things like safety for granted here. Things that are not readily available there,’’ he added.
The New Zealand team had a light practice session upon arriving in Wellington for the second One-dayer here. The Indians preferred to give it a skip, following a convincing 53-run victory on Tuesday.
‘‘Nothing went well for us all day,’’ conceded Oram, who bowled only two overs for 19 on his return from an Achilles tendon injury. ‘‘ We didn’t hit the areas we knew we had to bowl to against these guys. We had plans, we didn’t execute them and it highlighted if you miss against these guys you go the distance.’’
‘‘I’d need to have a rubber arm to go back there,’’ said New Zealand’s top all-rounder Jacob Oram here on Wednesday. He was only reacting to the prospect of going to Pakistan later this year, for a scheduled tour. ‘‘ I love playing cricket but I don’t want to go somewhere where my life can be in jeopardy.’’
Oram was merely echoing the sentiment running through cricketers around the world. On Tuesday, his skipper Daniel Vettori categorically stated that the tour to Pakistan was off; India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni too declared that no team would go next-door for at least a few years.
‘‘ A bomb went off outside our hotel a few years ago (in Pakistan),’’ reminded Oram. ‘‘ We haven’t been very keen to go back there since then. But what has now happened (to Sri Lanka) just confirms that it isn’t the safest place to go.’’
The NZ cricket association, however, was quick to step forward and clarify that the tour was still officially not off. ‘‘ After the tragic events on Tuesday , our tour to Pakistan in October-November appears very unlikely. But there is no final decision as yet,’’ said NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan.
‘‘ On another tour, another year it could well have been us,’’ said Oram, giving vent to the sense of helplessness among players. The fears, however , don’t stop at Pakistan’s doorsteps. Suddenly, India is not safe anymore either.
‘‘I don’t think I had any worries about going to India ever. However, after what happened in Mumbai (in November last year) there are definitely some questions to be asked. I won’t say not as yet. But if it gets worse, we will have to seriously look at it again,’’ he said.
Oram was, of course, referring to the lucrative IPL in April-May . Ironically, the tournament that changed the face of cricket, and the lives of many international players, might not even take place this year. The Indian government has already hinted that it might be a better idea to move it owing to the parliamentary elections.
‘‘The IPL has obviously opened doors for me financially that I could only dream of. But now I’m married and it would take a lot to turn a blind eye to what’s going on,’’ he said. Oram plays for Team Chennai, alongside Dhoni and Murali, among others.
Last year, the IPL had a circus feel to it. But events in India and Pakistan have meant that reality has hit home. ‘‘ We take things like safety for granted here. Things that are not readily available there,’’ he added.
The New Zealand team had a light practice session upon arriving in Wellington for the second One-dayer here. The Indians preferred to give it a skip, following a convincing 53-run victory on Tuesday.
‘‘Nothing went well for us all day,’’ conceded Oram, who bowled only two overs for 19 on his return from an Achilles tendon injury. ‘‘ We didn’t hit the areas we knew we had to bowl to against these guys. We had plans, we didn’t execute them and it highlighted if you miss against these guys you go the distance.’’
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