Tony Becca - FROM THE BOUNDARY

FOR THOSE who do not remember, the ICC's Champions Trophy limited-overs tournament should now have been in full swing.

The tournament, however, was scheduled for Pakistan, and with Australia, South Africa, England, New Zealand and the West Indies refusing to play in Pakistan because of the violence there and the lack of security, it was postponed until next year.

Or rather, in the opinion of many, based on the crowded itinerary of Test matches and Twenty/20 tournaments and despite what the ICC may say, cancelled for ever and ever.

violence

To the Australian players, players' association and administrators, to those in South Africa, England, New Zealand and also in the West Indies, the violence in Pakistan is such that they simply could not expose their players to it and in many respects, and remembering that a women's tournament scheduled for Pakistan last year was cancelled for the same reason, they may be right.

My concern, however, is this: For many, many years, and especially so in the 1970s, when bombs were exploding all over London, every Test team, including the West Indies who also played in Ireland during that time, went to England without a murmur.

Australia said and did nothing when bombs went off in London during the Ashes series of 2005 and Australia fly out to India today despite recent bombings in Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Bangalore and the recent one in Delhi which killed about 20 people.

The view of many, and particularly so in Pakistan, is that to refuse to go to Pakistan for security reasons and then decide to go to India is a double-standard.

The question is this: why is it that Australia and company would refuse to go to Pakistan and then go to India?

no respect

While their explained reason not to go to Pakistan may be justified, to a degree, and while it is true that South Africa has changed somewhat since the end of Apartheid and that the West Indies joined them in refusing to go, one reason could be because the all white countries - Australia, England and New Zealand, have no respect for third world countries.

And, as was the case during the 2007 World Cup, apart from hitting a ball or bowling a ball, apart from kicking a ball and, obviously, apart from running fast, they do not believe third world countries are capable of doing anything properly.

They obviously do not believe they can defend themselves much more others.

Another reason could well be that with the coming of the Twenty/20 cricket and all its money, with the decision to protect Test cricket, with so many seeing the 50-over Champions Trophy tournament as a waste of time, it was expendable and it was easy to get rid of it because it was scheduled for Pakistan - a place where, even during peaceful times and because of the restrictions on social behaviour, cricketers never, ever enjoyed going there.

India, Australia, WINDIES want to be friends

While there is talk that westerners are more likely to be targets of the violence in Pakistan than they are in India, the truth, probably the whole truth, is that while Pakistan is poor and expendable, India, with some 70 to 80 per cent of the world's cricket wealth, everyone, including the mighty, or the once mighty Australia, and the once powerful West Indies, wants to be its friend - to be on its side.

Should the Champions Trophy be taking place? Of course, it should be - and those who do not believe so should listen to two Australians, to Andrew Symonds and to captain Ricky Ponting.

"Why tour Pakistan where every bus backfire sounds ominous when you can drop in on India where too there are bombs but you can pull down seven figures in six weeks," said Symonds recently.

"Anything could happen tomorrow, things change very quickly in the world right at the moment," said Ponting a few days ago while defending Australia's decision to go to India and saying that he will be kept abreast of what is happening on a daily, probably hourly, basis.

What is interesting is that Pakistan has invited the West Indies to tour for a short series in November and it is interesting, very interesting, because the West Indies were one of the five to say no to the Champions Trophy in Pakistan because of the lack of security.

I certainly would not invite anyone, especially someone I considered my friend, to my home who had previously refused to come to my home, and I do not know why Pakistan has invited the West Indies.

What I do not understand, however, is who runs West Indies cricket.

decision

The West Indies was the last of the five countries to say no to Pakistan, according to reliable sources, the board said no only after the players' association had written to it telling it not to send the team.

The feeling then was that the players' association was listening to the Australian players' association and now, according to the board's CEO, Dr Donald Peters, although it is the board's decision, the board will make a decision after it has heard from the players' association.

While good leaders listen, good leaders, however, do not renege on their responsibility, their obligation, to lead, to make decisions.

I do not know if anything has changed in Pakistan over the past couple of weeks, and I do not know if anything can or will change in Pakistan over the next year, or two, or three.

two of a kind

What I do know, or believe, however, is that Pakistan and the West Indies are two of a kind, that Pakistan and West Indies cricket is weak, that their boards are broke, or near to broke as can be and that one needs the other.

The West Indies should step in and assist Pakistan in this time of need, and that would improve their standing with the Asian bloc and especially so with India.

Apart from the fact players like newcomer Nikita Miller or the recalled Carlton Baugh Jr would welcome the tour for obvious reasons, barring something like an accident, which can happen anywhere in the world on any day, or during any night as was the case when Marlon Black was attacked in Australia in 2000, nothing will happen to the players.

Maybe I am wrong. Following their decision to follow Australia by refusing to go to Sri Lanka during the 1996 World Cup for a similar reason, the explosion of a bomb in Colombo two weeks before the start of the tournament, it well may be that it is Australia and the West Indies who are two of a kind.

If that is not so, then the West Indies should accept Pakistan's invitation and send a team to Pakistan - any team, with or without the blessing of the players' association.