By Denzil Fernandes
Daijiworld Media Network

London, Aug 9: The third cricket Test between India and England at Edgbaston starting on 10 August may be called off due to riots in England.  For the last few days, there has been widespread riots in London and nearby areas with shops burnt and looting going on.  The violence has spread from London to Birmingham now.  This is said to be the country’s worst unreast since the race riots in the capital in 1980.  London is also set to host the Summer Olympics in 2012.  Although the cause is said to be growing unemployment, the danger to life and normal activity has given reasons about the third cricket Test between India and England to be called off.  In fact, there is a rumour that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) may call off the tour and ask the team to return home.

India are already down by 2 tests and the BCCI may be finding ways to escape from more embarrassment by calling off the tour.  However, there is no final decision and unless there is a drastic improvement in the local areas of London there may be no cricket for the moment.  The players have been inside their hotel rooms and have been asked not to go out for security reasons.

It is a shame that the rioters will prevent a fightback by the Indians against a formidable England side that is zooming ahead.  While the Englishmen are looking for a 4-0 whitewash, one expected the Indians to at least draw or win one of the remaining two tests.  New recruits like Virhat Kohli, Pragyan Ojha and R.P.Singh who made the trip to England will be disappointed if the matches are called off.  Likewise, star India opener Virender Sehwag will miss an opportunity to show his batting prowess and help in India’s recovery.  Sehwag missed the first two Tests due to injury.

This is one final trip for seniors like Laxman, Dravid and Tendulkar and whatever hopes one had of seeing Tendulkar smash his hundred century will be vanished if the tour does not go ahead.  The security forces in England are trying to put off the riots and have warned the trouble makers.  One hopes that good sense will prevail and all sporting activity will get back to normal.  There is a ray of hope since the friendly football match between Netherlands and England is still on schedule to take place on Wednesday.

Just a couple of days earlier, two domestic soccer matches were called off due to the spreading violence. 

As said before, unless there is a dramatic improvement in the day to day conditions, there is very little hope of the Test match taking place.  It is a pity that what was expected to be a fightback by the Indians will peter out to be a tame farewell for the Test series.

What was expected to be a red hot Indian summer in England has turned out to be a damp and hopeless performance by the Indian cricketers asking one and all if the team deserved to be the No.1 side in Test ranking after all.

London riots spreads to other cities in Britain

 
London, Aug 9 (IANS) Incidents of rioting and arson, which were witnessed across London for two days, escalated to others parts of Britain on the third day.

Fires have been burning in parts of London after a third day of violence and looting on the city's streets. Shops were looted and buildings set alight as police clashed with youths. The trouble also spread to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Bristol, the BBC reported Tuesday.

At least 225 people have been arrested and 36 charged following the riots across London over the past three days, Scotland Yard said.

It added that an extra 1,700 officers had been deployed across the capital Monday night. Nine police forces from other parts of the country were assisting in providing support, as well as the City of London police and British Transport Police.

Prime Minister David Cameron cut short his holiday and flew back to Britain as London continued to witness devastating scenes of violence stretching the emergency services beyond limit on a third night of rioting in the capital, the Guardian said.

Buildings were torched, shops ransacked, and officers attacked with makeshift missiles and petrol bombs as gangs of hooded and masked youths laid waste to streets across the city.

Buildings were set on fire in Croydon, south London, one massive fire consuming the 100-year-old Reeves furniture store. The fires were so severe that approach roads into Croydon were thick with smoke leaving some residents struggling to see or breathe.

In Hackney's Pembury Estate, which is the centre of the violence in east London, masked youths helped carry debris, bins, sticks and motorbikes, laying them across the roads to form a flaming boundary to the estate, the report further stated.

The violence first flared Saturday after a peaceful protest in Tottenham over the fatal shooting of a man by police.

The trouble spread outside London Monday evening and early Tuesday, with police in riot gear being deployed in Birmingham city centre after scores of youths rampaged through the shopping area, smashing windows and looting from shops, the BBC reported.

West Midlands Police confirmed that a police station in Holyhead Road in Handsworth, Birmingham, was on fire.

In Birmingham, police said officers arrested 100 people.

There were reports of cars being damaged in Britain's Manchester city and of up to 200 youths with masks roaming through Toxteth in Liverpool city.

Police in Bristol said they were dealing with outbreaks of disorder involving about 150 people.

Commander Christine Jones of the Metropolitan police, said: "The Met will ensure that those responsible will face the consequences of their actions and be arrested."