Playing hosts the Pakistan way!
Tigers herded into economy class, left fuming at disparity
Hasan Masood From Multan
The touring Bangladeshi cricketers hit out at the blatant discrimination meted out to them yesterday when they were herded into the economy class against the hosts' executive class on their flight to Multan ahead of the third and final Test against Pakistan beginning tomorrow.The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight that flew both teams from Rawalpindi to Multan, however, saw to it that the entire Pakistan squad fly in the executive class. Only four Tigers officials, manager MA Latif, coach Dav Whatmore, physio John Gloster and trainer Dean Woodford, were offered executive class seats. No Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials were around to explain this strange arrangement. The Bangladesh team's liaison officer tried his best to come up with an excuse, saying that as the PCB received the list of the Bangladesh squad late, they could not put them in the executive class. But the airy-fairy explanation was brushed aside by the furious Bangladesh team. "We have never heard of such silly excuses. Whenever any foreign team tours Bangladesh, we book the best hotel for them. We even compromise with our comfort by moving to a cheaper hotel to accommodate the guests. The Pakistani authorities should have had the decency to do the same," said a dejected Bangladesh cricketer, asking anonymity. Whatmore was most vocal in expressing his displeasure over the incident. "This is not a good gesture. If there was any problem, the home team should have taken the economy class and offered the executive class to the Bangladesh team. I have never seen anything like this in my life," said the Bangladesh coach, who at one stage of the half-an-hour transit at Lahore Airport asked Bangladesh captain Khaled Mahmud and his deputy Habibul Bashar to take his and Woodford's seats. "If required I will sit in the economy class and leave my seat to my captain. It's a matter of prestige. You should learn from this," an angry Whatmore told the visibly rattled liaison officer. Mahmud and Bashar, however, politely refused Whatmore's offer. Bangladesh team Manager MA Latif was also unhappy with the PCB for their indifferent attitude in making the seating arrangement. "We can't even think of a situation like this when a team is touring Bangladesh. Guests always get the priority. It's a normal courtesy," he said.
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