NEW DELHI: If troubled Myanmar can host Davis Cup matches then Pakistan should be allowed to follow suit, captain Mohammad Khalid said yesterday as the country continued to protest at being disqualified from a weekend tie.
Khalid is still smarting after Pakistan were controversially disqualified from their ‘home’ Davis Cup match, played in Yangon, Myanmar, against New Zealand last weekend because of “unplayable” court conditions.
The three-day Asia/Oceania Group II tie was staged in Yangon after New Zealand refused to play in Pakistan due to security concerns.
Foreign teams have shunned Pakistan since the 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore and internal violence has forced Pakistan to play their home matches in several sports at neutral venues.
“Myanmar is having a lot of problems too but not in the cities,” Khalid said in a telephone interview, drawing a parallel between the trouble-torn Asian countries.
“When we were leaving Pakistan, some journalists asked why are we going to Myanmar. They said the situation there is very bad and we were risking our lives. But we faced no problems at all.”
On Friday, when Sri Lankan referee Asitha Attygalla awarded the contest to New Zealand, eight people were killed in a riot in Sumatra island following an argument over recent sectarian violence between majority Buddhists and minority Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
“It’s the same in Pakistan. There are some problems but it’s only in the border areas. No problem in Lahore or Karachi. We can give them (visiting teams) high-level security,” Khalid said.
“We are looking at the ITF (International Tennis Federation). They should ask other teams to visit Pakistan. We want an ITF delegation to come and see the reality here.”
Pakistan were on course to take a 2-0 lead when Attygalla awarded the contest to New Zealand after a hole opened up near the baseline.
New Zealand captain Alistair Hunt said the match had to be abandoned because of the “inch deep and half a foot wide” hole.
Pakistan have lodged a protest against the referee’s decision and double specialist Aisam Qureshi left for London on Thursday to meet ITF officials to press their case.
Serena, Venus to lead US versus Swedes in Fed Cup
NEW YORK: World number one Serena Williams and her sister Venus will join Sloane Stephens and Varvara Lepchenko on the US Fed Cup team facing Sweden later this month, the US Tennis Association said yesterday.
The move ensures the Williams sisters, two-time defending Olympic women’s doubles champions as well as the 2000 Sydney Olympic winners, will be eligible to play in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Serena Williams, a 15-time Grand Slam singles champion, is also the reigning Olympic singles champion.
The Americans, all ranked in the WTA top 30, will play host to Sweden at Delray Beach, Florida, on April 20-21, with the winner qualifying for the 2014 World Group and the loser relegated with no chance to win the trophy next year.
“I’m really excited about the team that we have,” US Fed Cup captain Mary Joe Fernandez said. “We have great talent and depth, which is a perfect combination.”
REUTERS
