Wives and Families on tour?

[Captain]

Wives and families
It is PCB's policy to allow wives and families, at the players' expense, to accompany teams for limited periods. This is the practice followed by most ICC members. For the India tour, wives of two members - Abdul Razzaq and Yousuf Youhana - were permitted to accompany their husbands in the early part of the India tour. Similarly, for the West Indies, wives would be permitted to accompany their husbands for the two Test Matches. PCB believes that wives accompanying their husbands for limited periods on a tour is beneficial for the players and for team spirit. According to their contracts players are required to seek permission for their wives/families to accompany them.

this was on the PCB official website. What are your thoughts on the following:

1) Should families and wives be allowed to tour with the team?
2) Is it not getting in the way of players attention, because they are paying for the tours and need to be concerned about sequrity? and harming the team?

[Shaka]

1) As long as they are not distracting from preparations I don't see the harm personally.

2) I assume that the players are happy to pay for the tours and security issues are adequately covered. If it has been a problem in the past I think we would have heard something by now.

[Zainub]

I have long insisted this should be best left upon individual players to decide, some players like their familes around (Youhanna I am told is quite superstitious as his few highest test scores have all come when his wife has been around so he preffers travelling with family) others might find them a distraction (some players might argue they are on work and since regualr wives don't hang around to regular workers' office cricketers' wives should be no different). It should be upto them, in either case I do believe all the same that cricket board should take the financial burdens of their travelling expenses.

[Paoli]

The Australian team are allowed to have their wives for the last 14 days of tour I think, but for them I doubt it'd matter.

I see that three members have taken a liking to the 2020 avatars. When are we gonna see the likes of Quetta and Lahore in?

[Zainub]

Quetta really are the minnows of domestic cricket in Pakistan, so I don't expect anyone, unless of coarse they are from Quetta, to be inclined to support them. We could have had support for Lahore from Maranello, but I guess he got confused because he also had connection with Pindi and a few other places. May be you can support someone too

[Occasional Fan]

Originally Posted by Paoli69

The Australian team are allowed to have their wives for the last 14 days of tour I think, but for them I doubt it'd matter.

Why would it not matter for the Aussies, Paoli? I should have thought they would miss their loved ones as much as anyone else.

With the amount of time professional cricketers spend on the road these days, I can't see it being sustainable to insist that wives stay at home if you want players to keep their careers going for a long time without putting more important matters in jeopardy. I read Benaud's "Not An Autobiography" a little earlier in the year, and he mentions a few times the strain of touring without his wife. We have to remember that a lot of the guys concerned are quite young and at a relatively early stage of their married lives. Forcing them to leave the wives at home while they tour for months on end would amount to cruel and unusual punishment for all parties. I'd make it a decision for each individual couple, but forced separation sounds intolerable to me. And with the sponsorship money which is in the game these days, most boards ought to be able to stump up at least some assistance to air fares, shouldn't they?

[Zainub]

I'd make it a decision for each individual couple, but forced separation sounds intolerable to me. And with the sponsorship money which is in the game these days, most boards ought to be able to stump up at least some assistance to air fares, shouldn't they?

Exactly my thoughts too OF. Great minds think alike and all that

[Paoli]

Hang on OF, you got me all wrong.

What I meant was that what they would do in their private time wouldn't distract the Australians as they are the best team in the world. Of course they'd miss the family; they are human after all. But I meant it'd not affect their cricket.

Also, Zainub, get me behind either the Quetta Bears or the Lahore 2020 outfit. Provide me a link and then we'll have four supporters.

[Teatime FatCat]

Hear - Hear Paoli! I'm a Tigers Man through and through, get yer avatar up!

[Maranello]

Originally Posted by Paoli69

Also, Zainub, get me behind either the Quetta Bears or the Lahore 2020 outfit.

I recommend the Lahore Lions Paoli; quality outfit led by Yousaf Youhana, the greatest city of the East and on top of all that, a really nice logo. You can get the badge and all the details from: www.ncp.com.pk


PS: I have had the Lahore Lions as my profile pic for almost a week now, but only one poster has so far noticed and commended my taste and team... is everyone else unobservant, or simply jealous?