When cricket tours were abandoned midway...

Tags: India in Pakistan (1984-85), England in India (2008-09), Sri Lanka in Pakistan (2008-09), New Zealand in Pakistan (2001-02), South Africa in Sri Lanka (2006), Sri Lanka in New Zealand (2004-05), abandoned

Published on: Oct 19, 2014

West Indies pulled out of the India tour midway followed pay issues with the Windies cricket board that could not be resolved. However, this is not the first time that a team has ended a tour abruptly.

West Indies pulled out of the India tour midway followed pay issues with the Windies cricket board that could not be resolved. However, this is not the first time that a team has ended a tour abruptly. From reasons ranging from political to tragic, here are some other instances of cricket teams pulling out of a series before the scheduled end.


India in Pakistan (1984-85): From an Indian point of view, the 1984-85 tour of Pakistan comes to mind. India were featuring in the second ODI of the series at Sialkot when news broke that the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had been assassinated. The match was immediately abandoned, and the rest of the Pakistan tour was also cancelled as India returned home in wake of the tragedy.


England in India (2008-09): Terror affected England’s tour of India in 2008-09. The tour was initially supposed to feature seven one-day internationals, but after the fifth match, England decided to fly back home following the November 26 attacks in Mumbai. The England players in fact were in a state of deep shock since one of the places attacked was the Taj hotel, where they were actually put up after arriving in India. The hosts won the one-day series by virtue of winning the first five ODIs. England returned in December to play two Tests, which India again won 1-0.


Sri Lanka in Pakistan (2008-09): The third day of theLahore Test was about to get underway. A bus carrying the Sri Lankan players was heading towards the Gaddafi stadium when militants opened fire on the bus. As many as six Sri Lankan players were injured, including the in-form Thilan Samaraweera, who ended up with shrapnel wounds in the thigh region. Not surprisingly, the Sri Lankan players headed back home. The players were in fact air-lifted out of the stadium for safety purposes. Since then, international cricket has never been played in the country.


New Zealand in Pakistan (2001-02): Again, a team returned from Pakistan following a terrorist strike. A bomb exploded outside the Karachi hotel where the New Zealand team was staying, and the Kiwis decided to end the tour there and then itself. Some of the players were in the tears, and many others recall the experience as a harrowing one.


South Africa in Sri Lanka (2006): South Africahad playedtwo Testsin Sri Lanka, and were preparing for the one-day series when a bomb exploded outside the hotel where the Proteas side was staying. Fearing for their safety South Africa decided to put an end to the tour with immediate effect.


Sri Lanka in New Zealand (2004-05): Following the tsunami in Asia, which affected the Sri Lankan nation badly, the players could not focus on the game. Still, they initially agreed to reschedule the Boxing Day Test, but unable to get the tragedy back home off their minds, they decided to call the tour quits, and went back home to be with their loved ones, and also help those impacted severely by the wrath of the tsunami.


--By A Cricket Analyst

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