My first post outlined my misgivings about Ahmedabad as a Test destination. If someone had intimated moving the Test to Chennai I'd have been hugely enthusiastic. My wish came true. And I feel fairly rotten about it because the circumstances surrounding the change are not what anyone would have wished for.
Writing about cricket still seems strange. Sambit Bal's excellent column on this site summed up more eloquently and empathetically than I ever could the strange situation we were all put in. Various media outlets were in touch with me in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks asking whether the Barmy Army would still be going and what advice we would be giving. I understand full well the demands of rolling news, but it felt wrong to be talking about whether we would still tour as people were still being held in hotels in Mumbai.
I'm not sure at what point the balance tipped from this being a story about terrorism with a cricketing link to a story purely about cricket, but I reckon within three days that had happened. That in itself is a shame as the issue of sport soon eclipsed the pain and suffering of those involved. As it became the primary focus, attention turned again to whether we would still be going.
I'm in the process of rearranging everything to follow the series as planned. The inconvenience of that is tiny compared to the suffering of the people of Mumbai so it would be churlish to complain. There are the practical reasons to go ahead with the tour, such as booked flights and holidays, but there's also been an overwhelming feeling that we should support the team, support the people of India and show the terrorists we won't be put off.
All of which means I'm now being asked two different questions. Am I at all concerned and do I think enough has been done to take into consideration the safety of the fans? The only person I've heard mention the fans' safety was the legend that is Michael Vaughan. Has anyone else given us a second thought? Well if they have I've yet to see evidence of it. We don't want our own squad of commandos, but some reassurance they've actually given some thought to our safety would be nice.
Hey nice article Paul. My friend often tells me about the great experience he had when he attended a Test match at Mohali and was happy to see the Barmy Army sitting beside him and supporting England!
You're right about no one addressing the safety of the fans. The players will no doubt have their commandoes for protection wherever they go, but you and your army will have to trust the good intentions of the Indian people to show you the best possible time in India.
I hope the Barmy Army can make it here to India, but at the same time there is no denying the fact that this is a tricky situation for the English fans too.
Posted by: Jay on 12/05/2008
Paul, I do hope you and the rest of the Barmy Army will come for the Tests, we certainly do appreciate very much the support of our fellow-fans of this great game, and we are not going to let a bunch of cowardly brain-washed terrorists make us cower in fright. However, I do take issue with Michael Vaughan's efforts to over-dramatize the situation for the sake of some column-inches in his newspaper. He is reported to have written that he was particularly traumatized because he was in the Taj Hotel just a week earlier and could so easily have been there on that infamous night. Well, Michael, you were NOT there were you, so what are you slobbering about, think instead of the hundreds who died or were injured instead of looking inwards as it were.
Posted by: Assad Hasanain on 12/06/2008
"There are the practical reasons to go ahead with the tour, such as booked flights and holidays, but there's also been an overwhelming feeling that we should support the team, support the people of India and show the terrorists we won't be put off."
It would have been nice if you had shown this enthusiasm when England was refusing to come to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy...Double standards anyone?
Posted by: Sunil on 12/06/2008
Well, it is more than likely that there will be more security personnel in the stands than fans. Lets face it, Indian fans no longer want to watch test cricket from the stands. The recent tests with Australia were a good example where the stands were eerily empty, despite arguably the two best test cricketing nations going toe to toe. Couple this with the fear of terrorist attacks and the corresponding searches, harassment, delays due to security, and the ubiquity of television sets now, the average fan is going to stay home. I think the cricket fan at this series will be hard to spot and probably safer than ever before.
Posted by: arun on 12/15/2008
Thanks guys for coming back, though nobody could have faulted the English team for staying back had they so decided. In fact i don't think too many people would have noticed it here if the tests too had been cancelled.
However after the test, i can say that the people who sent those idiots to their deaths and killed so many innocents would now be tearing their hair. Next - a statement from a bald Osama, on the harm cricket can cause to Islam??
Posted by: anil yadav on 12/16/2008
it was great to see packed stands i chennai. cricket has come out as a winner after mumbai attack. congratulations to indian and england cricket teams and of course all the cricket fans who are the winner. cheers anil yadav sydney
Paul Winslow is the Barmy Army's web and magazine editor, a role that allows him to turn an unhealthy and expensive addiction into something vaguely productive. No-one is quite sure how he's managed to combine a career as a sport, travel and motoring journalist with so much travelling to watch cricket but he's blagged it somehow, although he will remain unfulfilled until 2012 when England tour Bangladesh and he will have seen them play in every Test nation.
RSS Feed
