In the last decade or so, the game of cricket has evolved as a sport where behind the curtain activities has become as interesting as the happenings inside the boundary lines.
One day a player who is involved with the ICL imparting his expert knowledge of the game on the ongoing Asia Cup and in the next moment the Indian cricket authorities are coming on at ESPN was hosting the telecast with all arms bended shouting, “sack the bugger”.

Then in another development within the plush offices of cricket suddenly the South African gentry decides to stop all associations with Zimbabwe cricket. For a while now Australia, England, New Zealand and gentry of the lighter of shade of pale were trying their best to sever the cricketing umbilical cord with this politically beleaguered country and thus this has become the biggest push in the right direction for their ‘hanky’ agenda. Now even whiter than white Mali has also endorsed his country’s decision in spite of being with the bigger wagon, this is just what the doctor ordered for the ‘white’ club and the ‘Zimbabwe factor’ will be taken up at the ICC meeting, which takes off in Dubai from today. Watch out Zimbabwe your future in international cricket is in serious jeopardy. Quoting ICC President Ray Mali’s own words – "I have written to Zimbabwe saying their future in international cricket will be put on the agenda and this issue will be discussed at our meeting next week."

On Tuesday, while watching the first day of the 10th edition of the Asia Cup in Pakistan I just happened to notice what pains the Pakistani authorities had gone through to make sure the ‘boat is not rocked’ while the proceedings are on. For them this is a prelude to see that they could manage an international event of this magnitude prior to the more important “Champion’s trophy” is put on show. Ironically, from one end of the World, a man called Ricky Pointing whines “I cannot guarantee the participation of the individual players for a tournament in Pakistan” – While from the Northern end of the cricketing globe, the pommies are grunting.

A recent report read “Many senior England players, it is believed, are threatening to pull out of the Champions Trophy in September due to grave concerns about security in Pakistan, irrespective of ECB rulings. Just days after ICC president Ray Mali visited the host cities - Lahore, Karachi and Rawalpindi - and declared that the one-day tournament will proceed as planned, it is learnt that members of the England squad may join a mass international boycott.Defending champions Australia too are undecided whether to participate and even if they eventually do, captain Ricky Ponting fears individual players may refuse to travel.

Invariably a bomb may explode anywhere in the world at any given time and this had included the city of London and even security laden New York. At the same time the Olympic Games will be held in smog-filled Beijing in a few days time. An AFP news item talks some aspects of this situation, but all athletes will be on show at this spectacle. It said “Haile Gebrselassie the former four-time world champion and double Olympic champion over 10,000m, who is the world record holder in the marathon but suffers asthma, has shunned the longer distance event over fears about the pollution, heat and humidity."In Beijing, no marathon," he said. "I don't compete in the marathon in these conditions.

"Imagine in summer, with temperatures around 32-33 degrees plus the humidity. It is better not to take the risk. It is better not to compete." Competing at Hengelo in May, Gebrselassie recorded a time of 26:51.20, the second fastest of the year over 10,000m, and is in prime position for a spot in Beijing.
Echoing Gebrselassie's fears over pollution, Australian track and field athletes will skip the Games' opening ceremony.

This week the Chinese government announced that more than one million cars will be banned from Beijing's streets during the Olympics in an effort to curb pollution and ease traffic gridlock. Beijing's air quality is routinely rated among the worst in the world by international agencies, such as the United Nations and the World Bank, with the rising number of cars, industrial pollution and dust storms among the culprits.

China says it has spent 16 billion dollars over the past decade to improve the environment and air quality by shifting polluting factories out of the capital and raising car emissions standards, among other measures.”

While being bemused with the facts at hand a friend of mine, who has a huge insight into the game came up with a very plausible but a very hypothetical explanation to many mysteries that bugged my head since 1996.

The situation in China is real, prevalent and could pose a threat to any athletes’ well being. Still they would be there. Back to cricket and Pakistan then one wonders is it only the security situation that pricks the Australian and English cricketers. For instance, insiders ask as to why South Africa took the first excuse and made a hasty exit out of Sri Lanka in 2006 after a bomb blast in Colombo. Was it that Sri Lanka had just thrashed the daylights out of them in the Test series and were more than sure of beating them in the ODI series also and the South Africans were also aware of the real truth – if they lost it was going to hurt their international rating.

Reality II: The champions Trophy is in September and right now in the ODI, rating South Africa is on top and Australia is second – a position, which they are not accustomed to. So if the Australians who are now going through a ‘changing phase’ with the exit of their experienced bowlers get manhandled by the sub-continent batsmen and fail to make an impression, their present position may be further jeopardized.

At the same time the English cricket after a prolonged stay at the doldrums are just experiencing the sweet taste of success and they too may not want to go through a gruelling experience on the sluggish sub-continent wickets which would hurt their present ego. These are some interesting points that we could delve into, especially on a Sunday like this.