Rachin Ravindra of New Zealand suffered a serious head injury during an ODI match against Pakistan at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
Rachin Ravindra’s injury during an ODI against Pakistan at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium became a hot topic ahead of the Champions Trophy. Rachin failed to see the ball in the brilliance of the venue’s floodlights, resulting in a catastrophic injury that left him bloodied on the field. While some prominent members of Pakistan’s cricketing community have recognized that the venue’s LED lights appear to be causing some problems, others have refused to make changes. They have instead blamed Rachin for the injuries.Salman Butt, a former Pakistan captain, is among those who have dismissed the criticism leveled at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) following the event. He also thinks the suggestions about moving the ICC event to another country are ludicrous.
“It’s pointless to try to make them comprehend if they don’t want to. It’s unimportant. These are some of the newest LED lights that have been placed, so they are fine. Were the lights not working when New Zealand players smashed sixes from deliveries bowled at close to 150 kph? A player positioned 70 meters away missed the catch due to a misunderstanding. He’s a good fielder, but perhaps his leg slipped and he got hurt,” Butt told a local television station.
A Pakistani news anchor took a similar attitude, spotlighting a floodlight failure during the India vs England ODI match, which halted play for a few minutes.”Like some of the prior campaigns that stated Pakistan cannot host a tournament as big as the Champions Trophy because the stadiums are not ready, I want to ask the same people, ‘What do you have to say about what happened in Barabati Stadium? That is an established stadium.’ So, I want to say that these things happen. These are not big issues. Just because Rachin was hit in the face doesn’t mean that PCB is to be blamed for it,” he elaborated.
However, others believe that the PCB is not prepared to organize competitions of the Champions Trophy caliber.
Tanvir Ahmed, a former Pakistan cricketer, said, “We don’t even have the money; whatever is done to maintain the stadiums comes from state associations.”
Shoaib, the son of Pakistan legend Hanif Mohammad, brought up an intriguing argument, claiming that even New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell hinted at a problem with the floodlights at the Gaddafi stadium before Rachin was injured.”Most definitely. In fact, before the whole Rachin Ravindra incident, I noticed that even Daryl Mitchell had some trouble spotting the ball when he fielding. The moment he took the catch, at a normal height, I noticed that his expressions indicated that he couldn’t quite see the ball properly,” he explained.
“So if he too faced the same problem, something is wrong. The placement of the floodlights is a technical aspect. Rachin was standing at deep square leg, and the light was right before him. Now, that is not usually where floodlights are erected in a stadium. There is some glare due to which the ball is getting lost in the players’ vision.”
