Pakistan women’s World Cup matches moved from Mumbai
Pakistan’s women’s cricket team. – Photo by Reuters
KARACHI: Pakistan women cricket team’s World Cup matches were shifted from Mumbai, India to Cuttack on Friday due to threats by Hindu right-wing political party Shiv Sena.
Recently, nine players from Pakistan’s hockey team returned from Hockey India League after one of their practice sessions was disrupted in Mumbai by Shiv Sena.
Due to the same threat, Pakistan’s World Cup matches have been shifted and now the tournament, which starts on January 31, will take place in two cities. However, the venues for the knock-out stages are still unconfirmed.
Group B comprises Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and will be based in Cuttack while Group A which has India, England, West Indies and Sri Lanka will be in Mumbai.
Why has PCB agreed if conditions are not safe than why take the risk of exposing our cricketers to extremist Hindus, but because of weak leadership and administration PCB is afraid to take a firm stand. Is India willing to take such a risk.
This is an ICC event, and I feel the Shiv Sena should have made that distiction. Having said that I would like to say that your sports persons will be kept safe, no one will harm them, because Indians protest, but will not harm your sports persons.
However, I would also like to point out that no one played with South Africa, for all the years it promoted “aparthied”, we in India feel Pak should be ostracised for as long as it promotes terrorism as a tool of diplomacy.