What is so wrong about a cricketer not wanting to go play a match in a city that has been hit by terror attacks in the last month? If one were to judge by the unasvoury comments floating around social media, after several overseas players of the Quetta Gladiators pulled out of the Pakistan Super League final to be held in Lahore because of security concerns, it certainly looks like a crime.
When prominent players like Kevin Pietersen, Tymal Mills and Luke Wright took to Twitter to talk about their withdrawal from the final, a lot of people from Pakistan agreed with and supported the decision on social media.
But for all the support they received, the the overwhelming response from Pakistani fans on Twitter largely bordered on negative, to the point of being downright rude. While Pietersen casually mentioned that he will be travelling to London – after almost single-handedly powering Quetta to the final – Wright and Mills wrote their reasons for withdrawing. And all of these tweets got some support and a lot of flak in return.
While many cricket fans in Pakistan will be understandably upset about missing out on some of the most popular cricketers in the world and the entertaining cricket provided by these players, this does not seem to be the reaction of fans starved of international cricket for years. This is the kind of response we expect from the mindless breed of social media users known as “trolls”.
This section of Pakistani nationalists on Twitter decided to let the players in question know, in no uncertain terms, what they think of their decision, using various justifications to point out why they were wrong or to plain mock them – calling them cowards, unprofessional, disloyal, comparing humans to rhinos (in reference to the animal rights activism of Pietersen), bringing India into the picture and so on. It is just disturbing part of all this is the level of vitriol by cricket fans spouted against the players they seem to like and will miss so much.
Take a look at some of the choicest tweets:
Luke Wright even tried to respond to the criticism rationally, and justify his reasons, but not to much avail:
While social media’s general lack of courtesy is nothing new, it is strange to see such emphatic attacking over a decision that to the rational observer seems to make sense. Some of the words used to describe the players for making a choice are appalling. Aren’t these the very players you were so excited to watch in action? The question they must consider before calling players “cowards” and “money-grabbing” is this: Is playing a cricket match worth risking your life over? As Wright pointed out, they all have families and will not want to take a chance.
There is a reason why Pakistan plays its international cricket in UAE. The last time an international cricket team, other than Zimbabwe, was in the country, they were attacked by armed gunmen. Not many will have forgotten the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore back in 2009. In fact, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, who were in the bus that was shot at, had already refused to play in Lahore should their teams reach the final.
However, the Pakistan cricket authorities seemed to have different motivations in moving the final of the league, which has been played in UAE so far, to Pakistan.
“It’s time the nation should show the world that we are a peace loving nation, we are not going to be blackmailed by the terrorists,” PSL chairman Najam Sethi said. “After the success of this event, international cricket will also return to Pakistan. We have to work hard for the next six days to make it a success.”
While Sethi is allowed to take a stand and say that he will not bow down to the terrorists in his country, he cannot expect the same from international cricketers. If Peshawar Zalmi make it to the final, Shahid Afridi won’t refuse to play in Lahore because it is his home country. But it would be foolish to expect the same from a Chris Gayle. Remember how England’s limited overs captain Eoin Morgan refused to tour Bangladesh after the Dhaka attacks? And he was allowed to by the cricket board, because this is about more than cricket, it is a matter of choice.
Even former Pakistan player Imran Khan has criticised the decision to have the final in Lahore. “What message of peace will we send out in such conditions?” he said. With the security conditions as they are, this is a very valid question. The move to play in Lahore not only puts the final at risk, but also the future of the game in the country.
Having said this, it should also be pointed out that a lot of cricket followers from Pakistan were understanding and even gracious about the decision.
The final will be played at the city’s Gaddafi Stadium on March 5 between Quetta Gladiators and either of Peshawar Zalmi, Karachi Kings, and Islamabad United. There may yet be more withdrawals from more overseas players. It remains to be seen how PSL will deal with it.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!