Women’s World Cup: Pakistan confined to Barabati Stadium
Pakistan team manager Ayesha Ashar said the entire squad was happy with the arrangements made at the Barabati stadium. -Photo by Sara Faruqi/Dawn.com
NEW DELHI: Pakistan’s women cricketers in India for the World Cup are staying in the stadium premises instead of a hotel for security reasons, the International Cricket Council said on Tuesday.
The entire squad is living in the club house of the Barabati stadium in the eastern city of Cuttack where Pakistan are due to play its matches in the eight-nation tournament starting on Thursday.
“I can confirm the team is staying at the Barabati stadium,” an ICC spokeswoman told AFP from Cuttack.
“The ICC considered all options and the best security for the teams, and we have chosen to use the Barabati stadium club house.”
Cuttack was added as a last-minute venue after the right-wing nationalist Shiv Sena party threatened to disrupt Pakistan’s matches in Mumbai, where the entire tournament was originally scheduled to be played.
Matches in group B — featuring Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa — were shunted to Cuttack, where Pakistan will remain if they qualify for the second round.
But the Pakistani team will still have to travel to Mumbai if they make the final at the Brabourne stadium on February 17.
Pakistan team manager Ayesha Ashar said the entire squad was happy with the arrangements made at the Barabati stadium.
“The arrangements are more like we get in Pakistan,” Ashar was quoted as saying by the Press Trust of India news agency.
“We are happy with the facilities provided to us by the organisers.”
Pakistan open their campaign against Australia at the Barabati stadium on Friday.
HAVE YOUR SAY:
-Keeping in mind the situation the Pakistani team is faced with in India, should the ICC play a more decisive role?
-Are the ICC and the BCCI setting a precedent for all future matches that Pakistan may be involved in in India?
-Being bound to the hotel (stadium in this case) has been cited by FICA and most international teams as a major concern when talk of touring Pakistan comes up. Will it affect the performance of Sana Mir’s team in any way?
-If travelling around in India is not a safe option for the Pakistan women’s team, is it right for the World Cup to go ahead over there?
I can not do but laugh on this article..Atleast they are safe and treated well in India unlike Sri Lanka team was treated in Pakistan.. Also please look at this line on this Article : “Pakistan team manager Ayesha Ashar said the entire squad was happy with the arrangements made at the Barabati stadium”
This is sad. I am an Indian. I wish your team luck. But I’d really like to say a few things here.
Shiv Sena is disliked majorly in India. By most people. Hindus too and many of them Maharshtrians. And MAJORLY. I cannot stress enough on how much they use the strategy of divide-and-rule. They never kill but they riot and just create a slightly hostile environment for no reason. This is another excuse they have got to create a riot to appease to a small minority of people who think Shiv Sena’s philosophy of ‘we-maharashtrians-are-elite’ is cool.
But having said that most Indians dont have any intent to insult Pakistan’s cricket team. Many who are reacting now are angry because somehow they have been accused of being extremist which they are not. In India all of us have plenty of Muslim friends. How can we be extremist, we have grown up with them and we pride ourselves on Taj Mahal, Qutub Minar just as much as the palaces of Rajasthan.
why possibly this last minute step was taken was because Shiv Sena’s threat came only at the last minute. Belive me if they harm your team, they will be condemned by the entire country. And their already shrinking vote bank will practically dissapear.
I wish you luck. But try not to miscontrue. I know its hard for you to take this without feeling bad. But I hope you understand the compulsions.
As it happens I fully agree with every single comment which has been made on this subject by Pak. Friends.
Its hard to believe, unfortunately its happening, the world would be a better place without the likes of Shiva Sena and their divisive anti national politics. I dream of my country free of sectarian politics and extremism of any kind. On the other hand, womens cricket does not generate the enthusiasm and the money unlike mens cricket. I read the abysmal remuneration and facilities provided to (Indian) women cricketers in general. However, there is no excuse to provide enough facilities and securities for visiting teams, especially from Pakistan.
Don’t worry. They are not reaching the finals – so no point of how and whether they play there. And if, they reach the finals indeed, they will play there safely. Our policemen might be pot-bellied and like some small change under the table, they are still good in saving lives of VIPs.
pakistan women cricket team play with burka or not bcoz as per pakistan sharia law all women specialy young women must wear burka so i m intrested how it look like when all 11 players of pakistan team member play in burka , if some one bowl in burka the apposition betsman always in two minds bcoz she didnt know from where ball is to come from right hand or left hand and if they batting bowler r so confused bcoz she didnt know where is the bat or the batsman are right handed or left handed so all my pakistani pls clearfy me how they play
You know personal enmities aside. Is this how daughters are treated in India? People living in West when speak of India speak of Taj Mahal and Hospitality of Indians. Do they lie? What a shameful act. Every Indian should be ashamed tonight going to bed thinking you’ve got those girls there confined to a corner and afraid possibly, in your country.
I can understand anguish in minds of Pakistanis but can the Pakistanis try to find answers for the following:
Do you really do not know the reason for this hostility ?
Why should ICC penalise India when no other team is complaining ?
Politics should not be mixed with sports but is terrorism is also politics ?
Do you really think that your denials and deflections is enough to getaway with most outragoeus acts of violence by groups based in Pakistan and despite ban by UN they continue to flourish ?
It is upto you. For a common man in India, talks and terror can not go hand in hand. This is our weapon, if cricket is casuality so it be.
It shows double standard of ICC, if it was in Sri Landa, Bangladesh, Pakistan, or Zimbabwe tournament would be shift to another country. Just because it is BCCI anything and everything is fine
It’s an utter shame and a total lack of self respect being shown from the Pakistan side. After the Hockey players were sent back and now this, why Pakistan keep going there? Indians have proved time and again that they condone the actions of the extremists otherwise they would have taken actions against the terrorist organization e.g. Shiv Sena. Pakistan squad must have come back or the tournament must have been canceled and moved to some other country. ICC would have been so quick to move the tournament had the same events occurred in Pakistan.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/icc-womens-world-cup-2013/content/story/602103.html
If this happened in Pakistan all hell would have broken lose. All those Indians who are laughing and supporting this would be on the other side. Having said total blame lies on our spineless board and government. Call our girls home and tell them never again will we have any interaction for another 100 years.
Because your country has terrorist and blast and attack anywhere including people go for prayer. The scenario is different. Here in India its democratic way they are opposing not with gun and bomb.
It is a sad time for the sport to give way to the right wing forces but there are fanatics everywhere. The media must play a part to educate the people that hate is not religion.
Wow..The incredible India…indeed…