The IPL In South Africa: My Relief

The news that this year's IPL is to be played in South Africa has come as a great relief to me. IPL officials have given the weather conditions as the reason for the change, and nobody can dispute that SA is a sunnier clime.

Whereas many IPL followers in the UK will be very disappointed by the news, my heart has lifted because I feared the worst. It was not the clear prospect of rain and hail in England that concerned me, but the possibility of a hail of bullets.

The grotesque attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore has set an ugly precedent, and the UK is no more a terrorist-free zone than India is.

Although there are strict legal controls on guns in the UK, and private possession of AK47-type weapons is prohibited, such things are made by the million in many countries of the world. Few could doubt that those who want to arm themselves will not find it impossible.

Suffice it to say that after Lahore I feared a copycat attack somewhere, and the prospect of the IPL played in England, thus offering a tempting soft target, concerned me. Indeed, it has been reported that the police were not at all keen on the idea, for it would have involved a very large security operation.

I wish the IPL a very successful tournament in South Africa, and I hope the fans have a really good time.

If this article reads as a surrender to terrorism I make no apology. It is not for me or any other sports fan to surrender or not surrender. It is up the governments of our world to get on top of the problem, and that they have failed to do.

Afterthought: I should have made it clear that I am English and a UK resident.