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| India-Pakistan |
| Pakistan: Cricket chief rejects criticism over Lahore attack |
| 2009-03-06 |
| (AKI) - By Syed Saleem Shahzad - Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, Ijaz Butt, has reacted angrily to criticism from survivors of the deadly attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team, including British match referee Chris Broad. Butt claimed Broad was lying about the lack of security provided to the Sri Lankan side and said he would register a formal protest with the International Cricket Council. Butt's comments came as Bangladesh's cricket team announced it was postponing Pakistan's seven-match tour of the country scheduled to start next week. The decision, announced on the Bangladesh Cricket Board's website, was published two days after the terrorist attack against the Sri Lankan team on Tuesday in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore killed eight people and injured several others. Butt said Broad's complaints about the inadequate security provided by the Pakistani authorities were not shared by members of the Sri Lankan team who had been targeted in the attack. "I never saw nicer behaviour than that exhibited by the Sri Lankan players," Butt, a former test cricketer told a media conference in Lahore. "Even those boys who were injured repeatedly said that they did not have any regrets visiting Pakistan and they would visit Pakistan again. However, the ICC match referee's statement was a pity." ICC referee Broad has complained that Pakistan had promised high level security, but at the time of attack, the team was abandoned by the security forces and there were no police to aid them immediately afterwards. Broad even speculated whether the attack may have been a conspiracy, as in all other matches both teams left the hotel together but on the day of attack, the Sri Lankan team was sent alone. Australian umpires Steve Davis and Simon Taufel on Thursday backed Broad and demanded answers after surviving the terrorist attack in Pakistan. The pair returned to Australia on Thursday, still clearly shaken from their ordeal and angry about apparent security failures. Butt disagreed with their claims about inadequate security in Pakistan. "There were successful and secure matches in Karachi and other places," Butt said. "Nobody could have predicted the Lahore incident, but the security forces did their best and even laid down their lives and did not let any harm come to the players. The bus driver showed bravery and took the bus away from the place of the attack." Butt said the results of the investigation would be completed soon and its findings would be made public. But he reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to provide adequate security for international teams. "It would be unjust to doubt Pakistan's ability to host the 2011 World Cup in the wake of terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team," Butt said. "I have taken up the matter with the ICC, and would also request the international cricket community not to make hasty decisions and wait for a year at least to judge Pakistan's credentials as a host of international matches." "Such terrorists incidents have occurred in many countries in the past. They failed to bring any long term negative impact on sport, and neither will it have any long term implications for the future of Pakistani cricket." Bangladesh cricket chiefs announced on Thursday they have postponed on government advice Pakistan's seven-match tour of the country that had been due to start next week. Officials of the Pakistan Cricket Board had announced a 16-man squad for the tour on Wednesday and said they had requested government permission for the team to travel to Bangladesh. The tour had been due to start with a Twenty20 match in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, on 10 March. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #3 AKA Seymour. |
| Posted by: Skunky Glins 5*** 2009-03-06 19:49 |
| #2 Talk about "protecting your phony baloney job"... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2009-03-06 13:46 |
| #1 It would be unjust to doubt Pakistan's ability to host the 2011 World Cup in the wake of terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team," Butt said. I don't know about unjust, it just seems obvious. |
| Posted by: Galactic Coordinator Omavising9607 2009-03-06 09:10 |