Zim Suspends Pakistan Tour

By Perkins-Tino Bare
Zimbabwe`s tour of Pakistan has been embraced by the welcome revelation after the mother body
Zimbabwe Cricket finally decided on doing the right thing by cancelling the tour yesterday after taking up advice from the Sports and Recreation Committee against touring Pakistan citing security concerns . The Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) which is the regulatory body for all sports  and confirmed to the ICC is still yet to sanction the tour as .
The decision which was a welcome revelation to most of the players “The decision not to tour at this time has been taken after considering the advice from the country’s supreme sports regulatory authority, the Sports and Recreation Commission, which wrote to ZC saying that it, had been advised against the tour by the Foreign Affairs ministry.” 
This came as a victory for most as the tour had lost its popularity amongst fans as they mourned the prospect of the team being used merely to show prove a non-existent fact that Pakistan is a safe destination yet just 2 days ago 43 people were killed in a terrorist attack in one city of Kerachi which the PCB itself was forcing Zimbabwe Cricket to play some matches in before they denied then settling for all matches to be played in Lahore.
However just a few moments after the publication it emerged that discussions were still ongoing as the ZC media and communications manager Lovemore Banda sent out an e-mail retracting the statement: "My apology Please do NOT run with the attached. Discussions are still ongoing and the final position will be announced as and when." Banda then later confirmed to a ESPN Cricinfo that no decision had been made as yet and it was yet to be finalised whether the team was going to be or not to be in Pakistan come May 22nd when the first of the fixtures is scheduled. Banda would not however put a time frame on when a decision would be made, saying only that it would be announced "as soon as the discussions are finalised" but my question is will these discussions make Pakistan any safer?
The tour which it is now clear was mainly based on its lucrativeness as the players were set to receive $12 500 each as an extra incentive outside their normal match earnings. Apart from that the  Pakistan Cricket Board had also promised to spend US $500,000 on safety measures which included helicopter-monitored travel and 3,500 guards. Apart from that the tour was also announced  by the president himself and was said to be of great significance.
As we wait on official confirmation from ZC regards the tour the cancellation of the tour will be great for our game for one simple fact that it is not a safe destination. Also as ZC makes its decision they should not in any way feel that they have sabotaged Pakistan as the decision is solely based on the security concerns. It is also risky in its magnitude to the Pakistan Cricket Board as it hopes to use the tour to their advantage but it is simply not worth taking the risk on the part of Zimbabwe Cricket. Also another thing to consider whilst these negotiations are being held is that the players themselves should also have a word in this as they are the one who are going to be touring and they should not in any way, be it financially or whatever the Pakistan Cricket Board is going to try and add to the table be arm twisted into fulfilling it. Also after all has been said and done Pakistan needs to get their house in order before we can start talking of having a swing because yes security can be boosted to ridiculous levels but, as the magnitude of the event rises so does its attractiveness to terrorist attacks as they crave such events which allow them to make a statement as of now, peace be still.    

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