Rizwan Tabassum—AFP
Cricket officials claim they cannot delay match in light of Taliban attack due to broadcasters commitments.
Pakistan cricket officials decided to go ahead with Wednesday’s fourth day-night international against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi despite calls to postpone it for a day after the carnage in Peshawar.
The Taliban attacks on the Army Public School in Peshawar on Tuesday left 141 dead, 132 of them schoolchildren.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said it could not postpone the one-day international due to broadcast commitments. “We tried our best to postpone the 4th ODI but were constrained by the broadcasters commitment as well as for cricketing reasons advised by the New Zealand management,” said a PCB release. “We are playing outside Pakistan only because of the threat of terrorism at home. If we allow terrorists to disrupt our matches abroad, then all will be lost,” it added.
Pakistan have been were forced to play their home series on neutral venues in the United Arab Emirates following a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in March 2009.
The PCB said players would mourn the Peshawar tragedy. “So we have decided to go ahead with the match and our players will wear black armbands in grief and observe a minute’s silence and flags will be lowered.”
The PCB said the match gate money would also go to the families of the dead and for the rebuilding of the school.
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shame to Shaheryar khan and other officials of PCB could not deal to delay the ODI for three days mourn due to the big National tragedy killing of more than two hundred innocent school children while a player died in a road accident and one day delayed these official should be dismissed who don’t have the sense of National tragedy shame…….