The Hindu : Front Page : Pakistan cricket tour off

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Friday, Dec 19, 2008
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Pakistan cricket tour off

Sandeep Dikshit

Government cites recent developments and overall situation

Photo: S. Subramanium

UPBEAT MOOD: Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni share a lighter moment at Mohali on Thursday on the eve of the second Test against England. The Indian cricketers will be looking forward to a well-deserved break as the team’s tour of Pakistan has been called off. —

NEW DELHI: The Mumbai terror attacks finally sealed the fate of the Indian cricket team’s tour of Pakistan with the government deciding not to go ahead with the series slated to begin next month.

In a letter to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the government cited “recent developments as well as the overall circumstances prevailing at present.”

The BCCI is expected to communicate the decision formally to its Pakistani counterpart.

Even before the Mumbai attacks, the government was reluctant to sanction the tour as it was weighing the risk of sending its cricketers against the apprehension of an incident impacting adversely on the public opinion here.

Informed sources said with the proof of involvement of elements from Pakistan in the Mumbai attacks, there was little possibility of holding matches even at neutral venues.

“The situation is not conducive. We can’t be seen playing in a situation like this where Pakistan is reluctant to act against people who have planned terror strikes in Indian cities and refuses to hand over people wanted for crimes in India,” said a senior government official.

“The government has declined permission to go ahead with the tour taking into account the recent developments in Mumbai as well as the overall circumstances prevailing,” said senior BCCI official Rajiv Shukla.

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