In the courtyard of the father-in-law’s house is the World Cup. This World Cup could be different for Hasan Ali than for the rest of the Pakistan team. But he can’t go to the “neighboring house” from where he is staying!
The Pakistan team is held captive in a security lockdown in India. No player or team management member can go from here to there without the presence of security personnel. Although it’s not something that Pakistan’s players are enjoying.
The match and practice aside, Pakistan’s team members are spending their time sleeping and sitting in their hotel rooms. Many of Pakistan’s players have fallen ill, and this is also one of the reasons, according to Hasan Ali. It’s Pakistan’s first tour to India in seven years. Among the team members, only Mohammad Nawaz has previous experience playing in India.
After many years, Pakistan is enjoying hospitality when playing in India. But it’s not something they can fully enjoy due to the security cordon. Speaking at a press conference ahead of today’s match against Australia, Hasan Ali said, “We can’t really go out. When we want to go out, we have to take the entire team with the security personnel. The hospitality is great. We are being taken good care of. But we can’t really go out. To go out, we need to inform the security. Because there is security here.”
On Tuesday, six Pakistani players, Abdullah Shafique, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Aga Salman, Mohammad Haris, and Zaman Khan, fell ill due to fever. On this, Hasan Ali said, “Most of the players are feeling better. But when you stay in a hotel room, you will suffer from ‘room sickness.'”
These measures are understandable given the security concerns, but it does affect the players’ ability to explore and enjoy the host country.
