Christchurch massacre to affect New Zealand sports
Bangladesh. -BCB
||Desk Report||
The Christchurch massacre, which killed 49 and wounded more than 20, will influence the country’s top-class sports. The two high profile events already have been cancelled yesterday as the aftermath of the attack and the first class cricket title being decided without a ball being bowled in the final round of matches.
The CEO of New Zealand Cricket David White believed that everything changes now in terms of security around sports teams coming to the country in the wake of the terror attack in Christchurch. "This is shocking. This will change the entire fabric of international sports hosting. I think everything changes now. We'll certainly be having to look at our security in depth. I think the idea of New Zealand being a safe haven is gone now," said David.
The incident forced to call off the third Test between New Zealand and Bangladesh scheduled to be started on March 16 at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. Most of the members of Bangladesh cricket team were on a bus approaching one of the mosques. Fortunately, all the members were safe and the team flew out of Christchurch on Saturday.
Bangladesh Cricket Board President Nazmul Hasan said that the security arrangement was nowhere near what they usually provide. Even, they didn’t have got much security during the whole tour.
The security arrangement was nowhere near what we usually provide. It’s not just here, wherever we go, we don’t get that much security. Whenever someone comes here we need to give the kind of security that they ask for. But so far we don’t get this. To be frank, we don’t force for this. Bangladesh team will ensure that they receive the minimum required security before finalizing any tour in future. We only go to those countries who can assure us this otherwise we will not go there,’’ BCB President said.
Bangladesh did not have security with them during their New Zealand tour as like as the others including England and Australia who never travel with without their own dedicated security personnel. White said the events in Christchurch will now be a game-changer for all sports teams visiting the country.
However, the cricket higher authority reacted calmly after the incident, though the cricket fans especially from Pakistan, Bangladesh raised their voices on different social media and urged to ICC to take some strong actions on this matter.
But, one of online portal named Telegraph India from the house of Ananda Bazar Patrika (ABP) claimed Saturday on a report on that one of the well-placed sources in the ICC said, “There’s no evidence, as yet, to suggest that the Bangladesh squad was the target of the gunman who mowed down 41 persons in and around the Al Noor Mosque. There’s no direct link... However, security is an ongoing thing and reviews are often a daily feature. The process is never stagnant...While there have been terror threats in England, even during the 2017 Champions Trophy, there were none in New Zealand... The agencies were dealing with will be getting inputs from the authorities in England, not directly from New Zealand.
The Super Rugby clash between the Otago Highlanders and Canterbury Crusaders in Dunedin cancelled. Also, the ongoing Australia Women Under-19 tour based in Christchurch was also cancelled after the attack.
While the Highlanders and Crusaders match was called off, the Waikato Chiefs and Wellington Hurricanes had played their match in Hamilton on Friday, but All Blacks’ scrumhalf TJ Perenara admitted the players’ minds had also been elsewhere. “Today was bigger than rugby. Regardless of how that result went, that wouldn’t have been the most important part of my day. I don’t think anyone ... in this country, would say that rugby was the most important thing,” said Perenara.
The Canterbury cricket team, one of six first-class clubs in the country’s domestic Plunket Shield competition, also chose to abandon their final round match in Wellington, which gave the title to Central Districts.
The club’s CEO Jeremy Curwin said his institution had consulted with the players, who were given the opportunity to make their decision whether to play the final game as individuals or collectively. “The team showed a united front in terms of the decision. It is clear that this tragedy will affect people in different ways, and Canterbury Cricket is here to support our players however we can. We fully respect their decision, and I am incredibly proud of how they conducted themselves throughout this process,” Curwin said in a statement.
Even, New Zealand’s Martin Guptill and Lockie Ferguson, who play first-class cricket for Auckland, also withdrew from their team’s match with Otago in Dunedin. “Both Martin and Lockie felt personally uncomfortable making the trip to Dunedin given the events in Christchurch, and also, the feelings and concerns of their partners and families. We understand that at times like this, families come first.” Auckland’s high-performance manager Simon Insley said.
