Safety concerns for Ponting and Aussie cricketers amid India-Pakistan border war
Aussie cricket stars including Ricky Ponting, Pat Cummins and David Warner have been caught up in a border war that’s threatening to explode.
The Indian Premier League tournament is set to be postponed as Australian cricketers scramble to leave India and Pakistan amid the border war between the two countries.
Pakistan’s T20 cricket league will be relocated to the United Arab Emirates, officials said on Friday after Indian attacks on the country including a drone that reached Rawalpindi stadium.
Pakistan’s army “neutralised” 28 Indian drones, including one near the city’s stadium on Thursday morning, the foreign minister Ishaq Dar said.
He called it “a deliberate attempt to target domestic and foreign cricket players”.
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“Pakistan Cricket Board confirms that the remaining matches of the Pakistan Super League has been shifted to the UAE,” read a PCB statement, which added that the schedule would be updated in due course.
The decision was reached after several meetings between the franchise and the PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the country’s interior minister.
Naqvi said the decision was made for the sake of players’ safety.
“The PCB has always stood by the position that politics and sports need to be kept apart. However, in view of the extremely irresponsible and dangerous Indian act of targeting the stadium, the PCB has taken this decision,” Naqvi was quoted as saying in the statement.
“We have shifted the remaining matches to the UAE so that the domestic as well as foreign cricketers, who are our precious guests, can be saved from the possible reckless targeting by India.”
Watch the IPL carnage unfold in the video above
According to Code Sports, the Pakistan Cricket Board is aiming to fly Australian and overseas players to the UAE on Friday with a goal of restarting the competition next week.
Code Sports reports “agitated Australian cricketers were last night involved in critical meetings to decide whether they should immediately flee war-threatened Pakistan”.
Pakistan is under increasing pressure to organise immediate flights out of the country, with some cricketers telling PSL officials they were prepared to ditch the competition altogether and fly home as tensions in the Pakistan-India border war escalate.
It came after reports PCB spokesperson Amir Mir had said foreign players temporarily could not leave the country due to air space issues. Pakistan closed their air space for 48 hours on Wednesday.
Former champions Karachi Kings and Peshawar Zalmi were due to play at Rawalpindi stadium on Thursday but the match was postponed after a drone fell close to the stadium.
Thirty-seven foreign players including from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the West Indies, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan are involved in the PSL.
There are five Australian players — David Warner, Max Bryant, Riley Meredith, Sean Abbott and Ben Dwarshuis — in the PSL, which finishes on May 18.
Sources told AFP foreign players did not want stay in Pakistan after deadly confrontations between the nuclear-armed foes drew global calls for calm.
India sent air strikes into Pakistan on Wednesday, two weeks after New Delhi blamed Islamabad for backing an attack on the Indian-run side of disputed Kashmir, which Pakistan denied.
Pakistan responded with heavy artillery fire and both sides accused each other on Thursday of carrying out waves of drone attacks.
International cricket resumed in Pakistan in 2020 after remaining suspended in the wake of 2009 terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore.
Pakistan hosted the ICC Champions Trophy earlier this year, but India played all their games in the UAE because the tensions between the two nations.
Several Australian and New Zealand players involved in this season’s PSL, including Warner, had travelled to Pakistan with their national teams on recent tours.
IPL match abandoned, Ponting and Aussies caught in conflict
The Indian Premier League match between Punjab Kings XI and Dehli Capitals was abandoned overnight on Thursday due to a power failure linked to the Pakistan conflict.
Punjab were 1/122 after 10 overs when spectators were told to leave the stadium in Dharamsala, which is near the Kashmir area. All airports in the border region have been shut until May 10.
There is a strong possibility Punjab’s next home game against Mumbai on May 11 will be moved to Mumbai and away from the Himalayas.
Punjab is coached by Ricky Ponting and their team features several Australians including Josh Inglis, Marcus Stoinis. Aaron Hardie, Mitch Owen and Xavier Barlett, as well as assistant coaches James Hopes and Brad Haddin. Mitchell Starc plays for the Dehli Capitals.
“We’re not sure where we’re going at the moment … there’s been some talk about Ahmedabad and some talk about Jaipur, but we’re only really worried about tonight’s match,” Ponting said during the broadcast.
“You know, there’s been a fair bit happening the last few days and we’re just trying to make sure we focus on our performance here.”
There has been no official announcement but the IPL may have to be postponed due to the conflict — the final is currently scheduled for May 26.
IPL tournament chief Arun Dhumal said: “We are reviewing the situation right now. It is an evolving situation.
“We haven’t received any directive from the government. Obviously, the decision will be taken keeping all the logistics in mind.”
There are 15 Australians, including fast bowling trio Pat Cummins, Starc and Josh Hazlewood, playing in the Indian Premier League.
“Due to a power outage in the area, one of the light towers at the HPCA stadium malfunctioned. BCCI regrets the inconvenience caused to the in-stadium attendees,” an official statement said.
Despite the volatility and increasing anxiety around the situation, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said the foreign players in IPL had no worries about continuing to play and there was no move to cancel the tournament.
“They are quite comfortable. Everyone in the league is comfortable,” Saikia said.
“The safety and security of every player – be it a local player or a foreigner – every match official and every fan is important for us.
“We have the clearance of every single authority.”
With NewsWire
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