Day before yesterday, a message was leaked from the Pakistan camp which made it clear that they were all set to travel for the T20 World Cup. The message, sources say, was sent by the media manager to all selected Pakistan players, informing them of the World Cup travel plan. However, shortly afterwards, it was deleted.
Pakistan clearly did not want the world to know that they had decided to participate — that all the false bravado had come to nothing and that they have no leg to stand on in the issue. And yet, they want to keep the ICC and the cricketing world hanging. In what can be considered the worst form of administrative intrigue, they want to hold the tournament to ransom.
Clearly, the media manager would not have deleted the message had he not been instructed to do so, once again exposing the acutely political nature of Pakistan’s stand.
Mohsin Naqvi was on record suggesting that Pakistan would announce the decision formally either on Friday or on Monday. Friday is long gone and the announcement hasn’t come. They are all set to travel on Monday, so expect some form of announcement then — you can’t keep people from seeing the team travel. The question to ask is this: does the establishment not understand that all of these actions will end up alienating the other boards? That no one will stand by Pakistan in the days ahead and that everyone can see through the motives?
Nothing in the world will change between Friday and Monday, and yet the formal announcement wasn’t made. No amount of deep dive can explain why. The only plausible explanation is to add to the intrigue — to keep people guessing and the organisers on tenterhooks. To keep the ICC wondering: will they or won’t they? To ensure fans don’t buy tickets because no one is sure.
While the ICC has announced match officials for the game between India and Pakistan, there is still no clarity on whether Pakistan would turn up. As a member board, this amounts to non-cooperation, and I am sure every other member board will take notice.
There are a number of reports which suggest that SENA teams do not field their best sides when they travel to Pakistan. Apparently, Pakistan is miffed. This is because Pakistan does not lend itself to international cooperation. They are keen to operate as a silo and have no friends left within the ICC. For other teams, a tour of Pakistan is more of a compulsion, and none of them are keen on sending their best players or fielding their strongest teams.
Will Pakistan travel to Sri Lanka? The answer is an overwhelming yes. Will they have the temerity to boycott the World Cup? The answer is an overwhelming no. Do they know there will be sanctions imposed if they act with indiscretion? Yes. And yet, they will continue to keep the world guessing about whether they will play India or not. There will be more messages that get deleted and more drama in the offing.
Machiavelli, may I say, would have benefitted had he taken a crash course from Mohsin Naqvi.
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