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The injury to New Zealand cricketer Rachin Ravindra during an ODI match against Pakistan at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium became a huge talking point ahead of the start of the Champions Trophy. In a rather bizarre and worrying incident, Rachin failed to spot the ball in the glare of the floodlights at the venue and ended up incurring a serious injury that left him bloodied on the field. While some big names in Pakistan's cricketing fraternity admitted that the LED lights at the venue seem to be causing some issue, others have refused to make corrections. Instead, they've blamed Rachin for the injury.
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt is one of those who brushed aside the criticism the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been getting since the incident. He also feels the talks around the ICC event to be shifted to another country are also ridiculous.
"There's no point trying to make people understand when they don't want to. It's irrelevant. These are some of the latest LED lights that have been installed, so these are fine. When New Zealand players hit sixes off deliveries bowled at close to 150 kph, were the lights not working then? A player who was standing 70 meters away failed to take the catch because of his misjudgment. He is a fine fielder, but perhaps his leg slipped, and he got hurt," Butt said on a local news channel.
A Pakistan news anchor also maintained a similar stance, while also highlighting the floodlight failure that happened during the India vs England ODI match, bringing the match to a halt 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 said.
There are some, however, who do feel that the PCB isn't in a state to host tournaments of the stature of the Champions Trophy.
"We don't even have the money. Whatever is done to maintain the stadiums comes from state associations," said former Pakistan cricketer Tanvir Ahmed.
Pakistan great Hanif Mohammad's son Shoaib highlighted an intriguing point, suggesting even New Zealand all-rounder Daryl Mitchell hinted at some problem with the floodlight at the Gaddafi stadium before Rachin was hit.
"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 said.
"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."