If events at Jamshedpur and Nagpur were not enough to cause the International Cricket Council (ICC) to take a much sterner view of player security then yesterday’s events at Rajkot must surely have awakened that sleeping body to the fact that the West Indies players’ safety are in danger during their current tour of India.
Should the present trend of missile pelting continue for the duration of the remaining four one-day internationals then the safety and well being of the entire West Indies team is uncertain.
What is galling is the fact that the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) seems to be viewing the unsavoury developments as no big thing. There have been no reaction from them, no statement issued, no condemning of the mob behaviour.
If they do not show to the cricketing world that they value their players’ safety then who should. Perhaps the regional governments need to send a strong message to the cricketing world that they do value the lives of their sporting ambassadors and that they will not encourage such threats to their safety and well being.
The West Indies team are constantly slighted whenever they go on overseas tours and hardly ever, is any voice raised to their defence. And so they continue to suffer indiginty after indignity perhaps, because, after consistently losing on away tours, their confidence is as low as they Test and one-day rankings they presently hold.
But enough is enough! The ICC should immediately announce that home teams whose crowds indulge in the unsavoury pastime of pelting opponents with objects or pelting missiles on the field of play will immediately forfeit the match. This is just a start. There should be other penalties aimed at forcing crowds to behave themselves or better still, ensuring there is improved protection for players whose main goal is to entertain peoples of all races and creeds while at the same time making an honest living for themselves.