B’desh leave changed New Zealand after shootings
WELLINGTON: Bangladesh’s cricket team left New Zealand on Saturday, less than 24 hours after narrowly avoiding being involved in the worst mass shooting in the country, which now had to accept that sporting events were likely to have been changed forever.
A lone gunman killed 49 people and wounded more than 20 during Friday prayers at two mosques in Christchurch in the country’s worst mass shooting which Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern condemned as “a terrorist attack”.
The Bangladesh team were on a bus that was approaching the Al Noor mosque, where 41 people died, on the eve of the third Test at nearby Hagley Oval when the shooting began.
The Test match, which had been scheduled to start on Saturday, was cancelled after the shooting and Bangladesh’s tour abandoned.
Violent crime is extremely rare in New Zealand and the Bangladesh Cricket Board said the attacks had now changed their perception about team security on tours.
“We’ll demand proper security wherever our team goes in future,” BCB President Nazmul Hassan told reporters in Dhaka on Friday.
“If a country provides proper security as per our demand, then we will go otherwise not.
“I can say that everything will change after this incident.”
Pakistan’s Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari also suggested the world governing body, the International Cricket Council, should possibly take a harder line against hosting matches in New Zealand.
“ICC shd take note & perhaps suspend int cricket in NZ after this act of terrorism?” Mazari said on Twitter.
Pakistan has been unable to host matches at home since 2009, when gunmen attacked the bus carrying the Sri Lanka team to a match in Lahore. Six of the visiting team were wounded and eight locals killed.
New Zealand have not toured Pakistan since 2002 following a suicide bombing outside their hotel in Karachi and instead played their games in the United Arab Emirates.
They also abandoned a tour of Sri Lanka in 1987 following a bombing near their hotel in Colombo.
New Zealand Cricket chief executive David White said the country would now also need to accept they were no longer immune from acts of extreme violence and that would need to be factored in when they hosted sports events and teams.
NO LIMIT ON GAMES
The IPL ends mid-may while the World Cup starts on May 30. Kohli had earlier spoken about the responsibility of the World Cup probables to manage their workload in IPL. He, however, clarified that the Indian team management has not set any number of matches they should limit themselves to.
“We have not put a tab on any player. If I am able to play 15 or 12 or 10 games it does not necessarily mean other guys can only play that much.
“My body can allow me to play only certain number of games and I need to be smart about it. Someone else’s body might be less or more capable than mine. That’s an individual thing. The responsibility lies with the player and everyone wants to play the World Cup. You don’t want to miss out on a such big event,” Kohli said on the sidelines of the RCB app launch.
“In the Indian team we have a culture of pursuing excellence every day. The players should take IPL as another opportunity.”
RCB coach Gary Kirsten added: “We do understand all the international players barring the Indian team will be called back to their national teams. We have to accept that. We have been international players ourselves and we understand the demands they have. We will be very reasonable in that space.
“Ultimately, every player needs to know that their priority is RCB for the next few days.”
Ashish Nehra, RCB bowling coach, said as India play their first World Cup game on June 5 against South Africa, Indian players will get three weeks to recover even if they play in the IPL final.
“In the case of a fast bowler, the more you play the better you get. If somebody tells a player to skip IPL and go directly to the World Cup, that is not the right way. Ultimately, handling the pressure in IPL matches is better than any practice session.”
DECISION-MAKING
Kohli said RCB’S losses in the past was due to bad calls. RCB , apart from Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils (renamed Delhi Capitals) among the original franchises, have not won the title.
RCB entered the final thrice, losing each time. “We failed in our task in the past because of wrong decision-making. It would not be right to say it was our bad luck,” Kohli said.
“Ultimately, one makes his or her fortune. If I make a bad decision and the other team is making a good choice in a pressure situation then that team will win. It’s our shortcoming that we have not been successful.”
He was hopeful the current squad will be up to the task. “You can’t predict the result but we have a good combination of players. I hope we show the spirit to fight against all odds. I hope the players are committed on a daily basis and handle themselves well on and off the field.
“This is my team and I don’t see myself leaving RCB for any other franchise.”
RCB start against holders Chennai Super Kings on March 23, the opening day.