Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Pakistan's cricket is in tatters due to reasons other than the game itself.
Surprisingly, the team is yet to play a Test match this year. And they will not play on home soil until India tours there next year.
It is indeed sad that Pakistan had to sign a $9 million deal with the Dubai Sports City to host some of its matches. The Dubai Cricket Stadium will be ready next year and Pakistan will hope to host teams who are wary of the security in the country.
If teams start to shun Pakistan altogether, it will prove detrimental for the game itself. This should not happen at all costs.
If the Indian tour goes ahead without any incidents, then there will be hope. India and Pakistan are rivals and if any team faces a real threat, then it is these two teams when they tour each other.
All the India-Pakistan series so far have gone through without any major hiccups. In fact, both countries have always gone out of their way to make the cricketers comfortable.
The whole issue of security concerns have been overblown by some of the cricketing nations. Australia and New Zealand have been the prime motivators of the anti-Pakistan tour campaign.
It must be admitted that there are security problems in Pakistan. The New Zealand team were justified in calling off their tour a few years ago when a bomb blast occurred near their hotel.
But that incident has put fear into the minds of the Kiwis. The mention of Pakistan now evokes a 'no, no' response.
The Pakistan cricket board has time and again assured these countries that they will get top security whenever they tour.
Besides that, the Pakistanis are great lovers of cricket. It would indeed be a surprise if anybody did attack a cricket team.
With terrorism becoming a major global problem, there could be incidents anywhere in the world. Teams who avoid Pakistan must learn to look at the bigger picture.
For example, many teams face other problems when they tour Australia. The racial abuse from the crowd has got worse by the year.
The spectators racially abused even South Africa's Shaun Pollock. Teams from the Sub-continent are often subjected to such behaviour on a regular basis.
These teams have always let the game take precedence over such matters.
Australia must set the example for others to follow. They are touring India at a time when bomb blasts have occurred in major Indian cities.
The Pakistanis have called it double standards. They may be right as India is a major cricketing power now and Australia cannot miss out by antagonising them.
Some of the teams must act now. Cricket needs Pakistan and its cricket-mad supporters.
