British journalist Peter Oborne launches furious attack on ECB for cancelling Pakistan tour

[FOOLS_NIGHTMARE]

• Oborne says British High Commission was happy with the security situation in Pakistan.
• Says Pakistan tour cancelled because of player power and the "craven, pusillanimous, cowardly" ECB.
• Says ECB "kicked one of our closest cricketing allies, to whom we owe an enormous debt of gratitude and honour."

Another British journalist has slammed the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for cancelling the tour of English men's and women's cricket teams to Pakistan.

On Monday, the ECB had called the upcoming tour off citing the "mental and physical well-being" of the players. The decision had come days after New Zealand had pulled its team out of Pakistan at the last minute ahead of its series due to supposed "security" concerns.

Speaking to Sky News, journalist and author Peter Oborne said the "English Cricket's security assessment [of Pakistan] was unchanged and [the country] was judged to be safe."

"The British High Commission was happy with the [security situation]," he said, adding that despite the events going on in Afghanistan, the security advice said it was okay to travel to Pakistan.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1440238553024188424

He questioned why the Chairman of the ECB, Ian Watmore, hadn't come forward to present a justification for the cancellation of the tour.

"Can you ask invisible Ian to come on to Sky TV and justify his decision? Because it stinks!" Oborne angrily said.

When asked why, in his opinion, the ECB made the decision to cancel the tour, Oborne went on to say that the board members are "pusillanimous, they are afraid of the players, and they are keeping in with the Indians — particularly the Indian Premier League."

He added: "One notices that Eoin Morgan, the English cricket captain, who pulled out of the Bangladesh tour [in 2016], is playing in the IPL."

"It smells to me — I can't tell this as a matter of fact — but we need to know this is player power and a craven, pusillanimous, cowardly board, prepared to kick one of our closest cricketing allies, to whom we owe an enormous debt of gratitude and honour," Oborne said while lambasting the ECB.

'Hypocrisy and double standards'
Prior to Oborne, veteran cricket journalist George Dobell had taken the ECB to the cleaners for cancelling its tour to Pakistan and had called it out on its "hypocrisy."

In a piece written for ESPNcricinfo, Dobell pointed out how the law and order situation in the UK itself broke down a few days before the ICC Champions Trophy clash between India and Pakistan in 2017.

He was referring to a terrorist incident on London Bridge when a van was driven into pedestrians and the occupants of the van jumped out, going about on a stabbing spree. That venue, as Dobell pointed out, was about two miles from the venue for the tournament's final, at The Oval. Eleven people died, and 48 more were injured.

"But the next day, the game in Birmingham - about 110 miles northwest of London - went ahead. Indeed, every game in the tournament went ahead. Despite an obvious increase in security measures - including roadblocks hundreds of yards from grounds and armed police at matches - none of the teams went home and every match was completed.

"At the time, many of us celebrated the defiant spirit that refused to be bowed by threats," he wrote.

He said that if life should be allowed to go on in Leicester and London, the same should be done for "Lahore and Larkana."

He said that ECB's walking away from the Pakistan tour proved that it "was a culture of double standards which appears to view some nations are far less important than others."

'Nothing to do with security issues'
Akin to Oborne and Dobell, renowned broadcaster Ebony Jewel Rainford Brent termed the ECB's decision to cancel its Pakistan tour “disappointing” and said that the board's statement regarding the cancellation of the tour has "nothing to do with security issues or concerns."

"It [England] screams of a team that has more power than the other side and have made a decision, not thinking about the impact," she said, adding that “disappointment is the word that comes to my mind after looking at the statement issued by the ECB for the cancellation of its tour."

British journalist Peter Oborne launches furious attack on ECB for cancelling Pakistan tour

Oborne says British High Commission was happy with the security situation in Pakistan.Says Pakistan tour cancelled because of player power and the craven, pusillanimous, cowardly ECB.Says ECB kicked one of our closest cricketing allies, to whom...

www.geo.tv

 

[TigerOfMysore]

People who keep saying this has nothing to do with politics are fooling themselves. This has everything to do with politics.
West Indies, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Bangladesh & even Afghanistan should be the only places we should visit. UK and NZ should be banned by PCB for 2 years at least and they should openly state this as the reaction to their act.

And BTW I am not saying politics related to "Absolutely Not". I think this has more to do with ICC internal politics with BCCI's hand all over. That is the politics at play here. Obviously the geo-politics does not help as the governments are not going to go out of their way to assist in any way. In fact for them they'll just pile on.

 

[SaadH]

These protests and displays of indignation won't have any affect on the calculus of powers that be.

Either Pakistan is willing to take the fight to the Indian soil with kinetic action, nothing fundamental will change.

 

[TsAr]

People who keep saying this has nothing to do with politics are fooling themselves. This has everything to do with politics.
Australia, West Indies, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Bangladesh & even Afghanistan should be the only places we should visit. UK and NZ should be banned by PCB for 2 years atleast and they should openly state this as the reaction to their acts.

even australia will cancel there tour to Pakistan.

 

[SaadH]

People who keep saying this has nothing to do with politics are fooling themselves. This has everything to do with politics.
Australia, West Indies, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Bangladesh & even Afghanistan should be the only places we should visit. UK and NZ should be banned by PCB for 2 years atleast and they should openly state this as the reaction to their acts.

Hate to burst your insulated bubble, but Aus, Saffers and Windies in the same western block and rest are comfortably in India's bed, we have no allies in world cricket.

There is a reason why an unofficial apartheid is in place against Pakistan and all cricket playing countries are in collusion.

 

[TigerOfMysore]

Hate to burst your insulated bubble, but Aus, Saffers and Windies in the same western block and rest are comfortably in India's bed, we have no allies in world cricket.

There is a reason why an unofficial apartheid is in place against Pakistan and all cricket playing countries are in collusion.

No bubble here. Trying to find some silver lining in this.

 

[SIPRA]

People who keep saying this has nothing to do with politics are fooling themselves. This has everything to do with politics.
Australia, West Indies, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Bangladesh & even Afghanistan should be the only places we should visit. UK and NZ should be banned by PCB for 2 years atleast and they should openly state this as the reaction to their acts.

Without any iota of doubt, this is geopolitics. These cancellations are being commanded from Washington DC.

 

[PAKISTANFOREVER]

View attachment 779329

• Oborne says British High Commission was happy with the security situation in Pakistan.
• Says Pakistan tour cancelled because of player power and the "craven, pusillanimous, cowardly" ECB.
• Says ECB "kicked one of our closest cricketing allies, to whom we owe an enormous debt of gratitude and honour."

Another British journalist has slammed the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for cancelling the tour of English men's and women's cricket teams to Pakistan.

On Monday, the ECB had called the upcoming tour off citing the "mental and physical well-being" of the players. The decision had come days after New Zealand had pulled its team out of Pakistan at the last minute ahead of its series due to supposed "security" concerns.

Speaking to Sky News, journalist and author Peter Oborne said the "English Cricket's security assessment [of Pakistan] was unchanged and [the country] was judged to be safe."

"The British High Commission was happy with the [security situation]," he said, adding that despite the events going on in Afghanistan, the security advice said it was okay to travel to Pakistan.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1440238553024188424

He questioned why the Chairman of the ECB, Ian Watmore, hadn't come forward to present a justification for the cancellation of the tour.

"Can you ask invisible Ian to come on to Sky TV and justify his decision? Because it stinks!" Oborne angrily said.

When asked why, in his opinion, the ECB made the decision to cancel the tour, Oborne went on to say that the board members are "pusillanimous, they are afraid of the players, and they are keeping in with the Indians — particularly the Indian Premier League."

He added: "One notices that Eoin Morgan, the English cricket captain, who pulled out of the Bangladesh tour [in 2016], is playing in the IPL."

"It smells to me — I can't tell this as a matter of fact — but we need to know this is player power and a craven, pusillanimous, cowardly board, prepared to kick one of our closest cricketing allies, to whom we owe an enormous debt of gratitude and honour," Oborne said while lambasting the ECB.

'Hypocrisy and double standards'
Prior to Oborne, veteran cricket journalist George Dobell had taken the ECB to the cleaners for cancelling its tour to Pakistan and had called it out on its "hypocrisy."

In a piece written for ESPNcricinfo, Dobell pointed out how the law and order situation in the UK itself broke down a few days before the ICC Champions Trophy clash between India and Pakistan in 2017.

He was referring to a terrorist incident on London Bridge when a van was driven into pedestrians and the occupants of the van jumped out, going about on a stabbing spree. That venue, as Dobell pointed out, was about two miles from the venue for the tournament's final, at The Oval. Eleven people died, and 48 more were injured.

"But the next day, the game in Birmingham - about 110 miles northwest of London - went ahead. Indeed, every game in the tournament went ahead. Despite an obvious increase in security measures - including roadblocks hundreds of yards from grounds and armed police at matches - none of the teams went home and every match was completed.

"At the time, many of us celebrated the defiant spirit that refused to be bowed by threats," he wrote.

He said that if life should be allowed to go on in Leicester and London, the same should be done for "Lahore and Larkana."

He said that ECB's walking away from the Pakistan tour proved that it "was a culture of double standards which appears to view some nations are far less important than others."

'Nothing to do with security issues'
Akin to Oborne and Dobell, renowned broadcaster Ebony Jewel Rainford Brent termed the ECB's decision to cancel its Pakistan tour “disappointing” and said that the board's statement regarding the cancellation of the tour has "nothing to do with security issues or concerns."

"It [England] screams of a team that has more power than the other side and have made a decision, not thinking about the impact," she said, adding that “disappointment is the word that comes to my mind after looking at the statement issued by the ECB for the cancellation of its tour."

British journalist Peter Oborne launches furious attack on ECB for cancelling Pakistan tour

Oborne says British High Commission was happy with the security situation in Pakistan.Says Pakistan tour cancelled because of player power and the craven, pusillanimous, cowardly ECB.Says ECB kicked one of our closest cricketing allies, to whom...

www.geo.tv

Can't we just abandon this LGBT speciality called cricket and be done with?

 

[jamal18]

Can't we just abandon this LGBT speciality called cricket and be done with?

Pakistan's sport should be MMA.

 

[ProudPak]

Hats off to Peter for saying the truth.

IPL needs fireworks. If we can't play no one can

 

[Patriot forever]

These are pressure tactics and international politics. They want things which they are not getting. Now what exactly is the threat faced by England cricket team, as fake as New Zealand one.

There is a clear block forming in the world and it will get worse as world becomes more and more multi polar.

 

[PAKISTANFOREVER]

Pakistan's sport should be MMA.

ANYTHING but cricket. Would be great if we had a tennis star.

 

[TigerOfMysore]

These are pressure tactics and international politics. They want things which they are not getting. Now what exactly is the threat faced by England cricket team, as fake as New Zealand one.

There is a clear block forming in the world and it will get worse as world becomes more and more multi polar.

This almost smacks of the full Russian athletic boycott (for doping) , and then the rumble of China Olympic boycott that has picked up again. There is a consistent effort of bringing politics into the sports. And when someone actually tries to boycott for real human rights issues like the BDS movement against Israeli apartheid, then laws are passed in these Western capitals to make BDS illegal. Strange cats - and they want the world to rise up against the "oppressor" China. Jesus, give me a break with this "Randee Rona".

 

[Myth_buster_1]

Pakistan's sport should be MMA.

Pakistan has one of the unhealthiest diet on earth so they need to change that first. And yes, mma should be the sports to go with.

 

[terry5]

ECB's hypocrisy and double-standards could fast lose them friends

Time and again, the board is demanding standards of others which they are nowhere near maintaining themselves.

www.espncricinfo.com

The ECB may well find itself short of friends the next time it calls for help. This was to have been a symbolically important tour. England have not visited Pakistan since 2005, after all, so this was an opportunity to thank the country for their assistance in 2020 and celebrate the return of normality to a cricket-loving nation which has been starved of the sport. It should have improved relationships.



Instead it has further demonstrated the divide between the cricket world's haves and have-nots. Instead, it has provided a reminder that the richer cricket boards - and the richer cricket players - do not fully understand (or accept) their wider responsibilities to the game. And, most of all, it has shown the hypocrisy and double-standards which pervade in cricket's most affluent nations.

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Well written article....Big Three thinks , they rule the world of cricket... unfortunately, other nations have failed to put up United front to fight this prejudice....