Angry Bangladesh fans, whose team was bowled out for 58, the lowest total by a Full Member at a World Cup, threw stones at both team buses, cracking two of the West Indian team buses windows. None of the players were injured.
Now I don't intend to make a mountain out of a molehill here but I wasn't pleased with these comments by International Cricket Council (ICC) chief Haroon Lorgat:
Lorgat played down the incident, calling it "minor," and explained why it was not as serious as had been originally reported. "It was a few individuals who threw pebbles at the bus, and they were pebbles."Well I guess it must have been a whole truckload of pebbles to be cracking the glass on these buses which I assume would have been reinforced in some way.
(Note he said cracked as opposed to broken)
Also some folks seemed upset that West Indies player Chris Gayle tweeted about what was happening:
This is some bullshit.....Bangladesh stoning our bus!!! Freaking glass Break!!! This is crap,can't believe..what next bullets!!!! Kiss teeth
(glass break?? So the windows were more than cracked hmm. So pebbles breaking the possibly reinforced windows hmmm)
and another Gayle tweet
This is ridiculous!!! Damn!!! W Cup with so many security an this happen!! Big Joke!!! Trust me I'm not keen here!!! Av players lay flat!!!
Now like I said I don't want to make a big fuss about this, but at the same time it seems as if the danger that the West Indies players faced is being downplayed. I understand that this is a big international event and the ICC doesn't want to spread unwanted panic but put yourself in the shoes of the West Indies team, in a foreign land by themselves, far from home and all of a sudden they are attacked for what? Winning, embarrassing the home side?
It doesnt help that the excuses flowed almost immediately with Lorgat with his pebbles comment and the Bangladeshi police saying that the rocks were meant for the Bangladeshi team not the West Indians. Whatever dude, whatever!
So where is the West Indian Cricket Board (WICB)? Have they even issued a statement on this? I haven't heard any and there isn't even anything on their website about the incident a day later. Are they concerned for the safety of their players? I mean I know the board and the players association always at war but still.....
Consider this, and realize from previous incidents this isn't hyperbole. If it had been the English or Australian team involved, cricket world cup or not those boys would have been packing up to head home because of security reasons. And their cricket board and politicians from their home countries would be kicking up a serious fuss about this incident however minor it might be. But what do we do? We just grit and bear it? Nobody saying nuttin!
Where are our politicians and board to come out and say look this is nonsense, try and keep the boys safe or we pulling them out the tournament? Where are the officials to stand up for our team?
Growing up I learn that sometimes you need to have representation and someone to just show up in certain circumstances to head off the bullies or as we used to say "let people know ya have family" so they don't mess with you. It usually works too. Where are those people for the West Indies cricket team? Where are the people to say well thankfully its not worse but look we wont stand for this sort of thing so make sure it wont happen again.
Now dont get me wrong, this post isnt anti-Bangladesh. I know some people take their sports way too serious (see Euro and South American soccer hooligans/fans) and this was probably the act of a few angry but stupid people venting their frustrations but at the same time people's lives were in danger here. Dont sweep it under the rug. Support the boys dem in a foreign representing we cause even if we duz cuss them for poor performances they is still family and when they in trouble we should rally roun dem.
Come on West Indian politicians and Cricket board. Speak up and represent for the boys.
3 comments:
Poor Windies.We usually say we should stone them when they mess up but they won and.....
The incident was big enough that the captain of the Bangladesh team pleaded with his country-folks to not do this anymore.
It's sad when we become such bad losers. And it's just a game, men hitting a ball with pieces of wood.
I like the Bangladesh team, I saw those boys on tv, they seemed so shy, humble...it's upsetting that their countrymen should smudge their name this way.
I think, when fans behave badly in particular country, games in that place should be banned.
I agree with Guyana-Gyal
it's just a game. . .if people's lives are going to be threatened, well, that's just not a safe place for games
it doesn't take long for that kind of situation to turn into a mob mentality
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