On Monday night, Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar was at the Mumbai airport waiting to board a flight to Dubai, and not Chennai as would have been the case for the fourth ODI between India and South Africa scheduled to be held in the southern capital on October 22. Dar’s change of schedule had come about after the ICC withdrew him from the rest of the series, in a strong response to the violent attack that the Shiv Sena had launched at the BCCI office to disrupt scheduled talks for resuming ties between India and Pakistan. The unprecedented withdrawal of an official owing to political pressure came after ICC president Zaheer Abbas cast a shadow over Pakistan’s participation in next year’s World T20 to be held in India. “Under the present circumstances, it will be unreasonable to expect from Aleem that he will be able to perform his duties to the best of his abilities. As such, he has been withdrawn and his replacement will be announced in due course,” the ICC spokesman stated in a press release. [related-post] Following their slogan-shouting and flag-waving protests, which ensured that BCCI president Shashank Manohar and PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan didn’t meet at all, there were reports that the Sena had warned Dar against officiating during the fifth ODI at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. Abbas, meanwhile, hinted that the Pakistani players could cite security concerns as a reason to stay away from the World T20. “Pakistani and Indian cricket authorities must work it out, otherwise I fear the Pakistan players could also refuse to tour India for the upcoming World T20 Cup, citing security concerns,” the former Pakistan captain said. “I don’t know what the environment will be when the World T20 is held in India but if this situation persists, obviously there will be extra pressure on our players,” he added. Abbas is also learnt to have told the Pakistani media that the arch-rivals could play at a neutral venue in December while insisting that politics and sports should be kept apart. IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla, though, lauded the “good relationship” that the BCCI and PCB have shared over the years but didn’t agree that the two neighbouring countries should face each other in a neutral country. “India and Pakistan are very important. We should play on. Neutral venue is not a good option. We should keep talking all the time,” he said. The last time India and Pakistan met in a bilateral series was in late 2012, when they faced each other in two T20s and three ODIs. Ever since, their meetings have been confined to ICC events. But earlier this year, Shukla had warned PCB of dire consequences after Khan said that Pakistan might boycott India in ICC tournaments if the bilateral series doesn’t go ahead in December. “PCB is bound by the rules of the ICC, if it backs out it will have to bear the fine,” Shukla had said. This time, Shukla said that Khan’s visit to Mumbai was based on his “willingness” to meet the new BCCI president. “BCCI is a responsible body, they are committed to national interest. We will not take any decision without consulting the government. PCB and BCCI have a good relationship. Pakistan has supported us at the ICC for long. Since the new president was taking over, the PCB had shown a willingness to meet and he agreed. The PCB officials have a valid visa to travel,” he said. Shukla then appealed to the Shiv Sena to avoid such protests, indicating how even a small incident like this could have major repercussions on Indian cricket and end up impacting the World T20. “I appeal to (Sena chief) Uddhav Thackeray, they should take a considerate view,” he said. Meanwhile, having been asked to stay at his hotel following the Sena attack, Khan spent most of Monday in the company of his wife and PCB CEO Najam Sethi. The hotel itself was turned into a fortress with securitymen manning all entries and exits. There were unsubstantiated rumours that the meeting was only deferred and might take place at an undisclosed location later in the evening. But it wasn’t to be. Interestingly, former Pakistan fast bowling legend Wasim Akram checked into the hotel around 2 pm causing a mini-flutter in the lobby among those present, including the plain-clothed policemen and other security personnel. Soon after, Khan his wife and Sethi were whisked away amidst tight security to the airport to board a flight to Delhi. It’s learnt that while Khan will stay in Delhi, Sethi will fly back to Pakistan. Meanwhile, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur put up a brave front despite the ruckus that ensued following the Sena’s attack. When asked about whether the protest would lead to Dar being withdrawn and hamper the World T20, he said, “There was the possibility of a protest in Rajkot as well, where more than 50,000 people were supposed to come. What is threat and what is perception — I will not go there.” As it turned out, an ICC press release arrived a few hours later, revealing a significant change in Dar’s travel plans.
