Games of brinkmanship

NAKED EYE

Why you cannot trust Pakistan...

Slam dunk - that was my reaction to the Pakistani response to ourconscience pricked decision to allow Pakistan players in the IPL.After home minister P Chidambaram opened a pandora's box by sayingthat Pakistani players should have been picked in the IPL and KolkataKnight Riders owner Shahrukh Khan broke the law of omerta, a selfstyled code of silence employed by the franchise owners who had closedranks against the interloper, Deccan Chargers and Knight Ridersdecided to recruit Abdul Razzaq. But sample this typical Pakistanichicanery and sophistry. After the histrionics and media inducedtheatrics over Pakistani players being ignored, the PCB withdrew theno objection certificates given to their players.
The entire drama collapsed under the weight of contemporaryIndia-Pakistan relations. The peaceniks were dwarfed by the hawks onboth sides. India once again had egg on its face as the Pakistaniswere gleefully celebrating their victory in the subtle game ofbrinkmanship. Once the PCB said it was no longer willing to wait forthe IPL to invite its players on board and was withdrawing thegreenlight, it was pretty much done and dusted. By revoking the NoCsto the 11 players who were up for auction, the understanding amongstthe eight franchise owners seemed the most plausible decision inretrospect. "The attitude of the IPL was very negative and was notacceptable to us. This has only been condemned not only by us, butalso by ministers from India. We do not accept this this kind of aninsulting attitude from IPL. And hence, we have withdrawn the NOCsgiven to our players," PCB chairman Ejaz Butt told CNN-IBN. One canargue that the Pakistanis were revolted by our earlier stand anddecided to teach us a lesson. But the moot point is that you cannottrust Pakistan on anything, masters as they are of double speak, theyhave proved time and again on the 26/11 terror attacks that theysimply cannot be relied upon.
Once again then is there a lesson in this for Indian authorities?Indian media decided to go for the jugular on the code of silence usedby the IPL wallahs. It succeeded in getting various people to come outof the closet as it were and wear their hearts on their sleeves, butthe bottomline is that if Shahrukh Khan can be targeted by the ShivSena for coming out in support of Pakistani players, then can we forone minute believe that Pakistani players would have been allowed toplay gracefully in Mumbai? So, why shed these tears and shoutourselves hoarse from the rooftops that sport and politics do not andshould not mix? When it comes to Pakistan, one has no choice, but toensure that they do mix. That is only way to bring Pakistan tounderstand that it is not a terror victim, but the progenitor of theterror factory. A factory which wants to carve a larger swathe inKashmir and beyond in India. India needs to use this instrumentalityin a more actionable manner. If we could cancel a tour of Pakistan inthe immediate aftermath of 26/11, we now need to extend this in themanner that the world shut out South Africa for its deplorable systemof apartheid. For over 20 years, the global community of nations choseto shun South Africa, no sporting contract of any sort was allowed.India actually refused to play the same South Africa in the final of1974, forfeiting. India refused to play against South Africa becauseof the country’s firm resolve to continue the protest it had launchedagainst apartheid in 1947 at the United Nations. This resulted inSouth Africa winning the Davis Cup by default, the only time in thehistory of the tourney that it has ever won a final. South Africa wasostracised, entire generations of sportpersons failed to make theirtryst with international sport.
Anyway, let us rewind to the more immediate past. As expected the fastmen were paid top dollar in the limited player auction for season 3 ofIPL in Mumbai. Tactical bidding is what was prognosticated and itpretty much went according toscript. Given that the bidding was only for season 3, all thefranchise owners were clear about what they wanted. And what wasinteresting and illuminating at the same time was the way thefranchise owners steered clear of controversial acquisitions. So, noPakistani and selective Australian players (Damien Martyn and AdamVoges only) were touched. With Shiv Sena calling for a ban againstAussies in the wake of the racial attacks against Indian students andno clarity over whether Pakistani players could actually play in Indiagiven the atmospherics between the two nations, they were a definiteno, no! So, you had apprehensive franchise owners giving Pakistaniplayers a wide berth. Otheriwse how can one explain the fact thatShahid Afridi, Mohd Aamer, Umar Gul, Umar Akmal were not even bid for.A tacit understanding existed between the owners and though Mr Khan'sconscience was subsequently tormenting him, he too opted for Bondrather than a Pakistani player. Even if he had wanted an out and outfast bowler as he said later, he could have bought Umar Gul or MohdAamer, two bowlers in fine fettle. He didn't. Incidentally, Shane Bonddid not cover himself in glory in the last season of ICL. And he has ahistory of breakdowns. So, spare us this false show of emotion anddramatics.
Post 26/11, India cancelled its tour of Pakistan and since then apolicy of no contact has persisted. Even the row over visas for someof the players prompted the IPL to close ranks against them. ThePakistani players may well have been keen to play, but were Indianauthorities equally enthused. Don't think so. The scars of 26/11 arestill festering. IPL commissioner Lalit Modi conceded the biggestquestion facing the franchisees was the availability of the playersthey would buy and Rajasthan Royals co-owner Shilpa Shetty said herteam did not bid for any Pakistani players simply because they werenot sure about their availability. Ditto for the Aussies. If one bidfor one player was all that was available to every franchise, then itneeded to be optimised and monetised in the shape of a good, solidacquisition. Someone who could make a difference to the campaign. AsDeccan Chargers found with Fidel Edwards last season, a genuinelyhostile fast bowler is a neccessity. That is why Wayne Parnell, ShaneBond, Kemar Roach and Yusuf Abdulla found nests.
Shilpa Shetty Kundra said "We were not convinced about theiravailability and that's why we did not want to take any risk." InsteadRR bought Aussie veteran and ICL returnee Damien Martyn for $ 100,000.Giving the instance of Sohail Tanvir, who played a crucial role inRajasthan Royal's fairytale win in the inaugural IPL, Shetty saidthere was no question of bidding for a player who might not beavailable in the tournament. Strategic and tactical options were usedby the bidders. The fact that the silent tie breaker was usedextensively meant that the same players were being targeted by severalfranchise owners. Out and out fast bowling options were a sure shotfor many, so Kemar Roach and Shane Bond were sought after. As Shettysaid, "See, every team has its own strategy."
Yes, every team had its own strategy. Unfortunately, sensible commercial andbusiness decisions at the limited IPL auction got drowned out by theemotion and brouhaha of India-Pakistan equations. Equations whereother than slivers of emotion, there is only one stark reality; thatof deeply ingrained mistrust and anger. For till the perpetrators of26/11 are brought to book, this will remain the overriding emotion,wishing and washing away all other strains of friendship and people topeople interface and contact. Let us not go overboard, let us not takethe moral high ground, let us be practical and understand the traumaand complexities of post 26/11 India-Pakistan relationship. For 20 oddyears since the death by a thousand cuts stratagem employed in Kashmirculminating in 26/11 in 2008, the trust deficit has got wider. Andsport will have to bear the consequences. Make no mistake.