ONCE UPON a time, years and years ago, the men of England, according to reports, spread their influence across the world with a Bible under their arm, a bat in one hand and a ball in the other.

For many, many years, cricket was the glue which kept the British Empire, now the Commonwealth, together. That was, more than likely, up until Wednesday night.

Ever since 1996 when Australia and the West Indies refused to play in Sri Lanka during the World Cup tournament because of security concerns, cricket, for the same reason, has been dogged by cancelled contests.

These cancelled contests or aborted tours include New Zealand's tour of Pakistan in 2002, Australia and the West Indies tours to Pakistan in 2002, South Africa's tour to Sri Lanka in 2006, the ICC Champions Trophy tournament in Pakistan earlier this year and the West Indies (men and women) tours to Pakistan earlier this year.

Terrorists in India

On Wednesday night, however, something happened which made all of the above seemed petty.

On Wednesday night a group of terrorists, more than 20 of them, invaded Mumbai (formerly Bombay), they attacked, with guns, grenades, and bombs, some 10 institutions, including the luxurious and prestigious Taj Mahal Hotel and the Hotel Oberoi and, at the last count, they left behind more than 190 dead and hundreds more wounded.

That was a carnage. As one who stayed in both hotels on a few occasions during my three visits to India, I was touched by the ghastly deed and especially so when I saw the Taj, one of my favourite hotels, in flames and realising that innocent visitors, people like me, were trapped inside.

Tour cancelled

England were on tour of India at the time. They had played five one-day matches losing all five, they had two Test matches to come, and it was not surprising that the tour was interrupted, everything was put on hold, and members of the England team, who were not in Mumbai at the time, were flown home where they will sit and wait, probably to return another day, and probably so by Saturday.

With the ICL World Series cancelled, with the IPL Champions League Twenty20 tournament postponed, what was surprising was the talk which is still going on about the future of the tour, about whether the two remaining, meaningless one-day matches should be played.

With the second Test scheduled for Mumbai, with it being obvious that that match would have to be shifted elsewhere, talk about whether or not the Test matches still should be played.

With so many dead, with such a big city in chaos, a city numbering about 20 million people it is strange that people could be thinking about a game, and more importantly, thinking about the consequences - the loss of revenue, the possible fines and the possible reprisals if, for example, England decide not to return to India.

Already some are hinting at what would happen to the ICC World Twenty20 Cup to be staged in England next summer should England decide not to return to India later this week or early next week.

The suggestion so far has been that India, who have been flexing their muscles recently, would stay away next year and so, too, would those, at least some of them, who are lining up for some of India's money.

Such an attitude while the bodies of so many are still warm is difficult to swallow.

Will England return?

The question, however, is this: Will England return to India?

With so many of England's players itching to go and earn money in both the IPL and ICL leagues, in the World Series and in the Champions League, it would be surprising if they decide not to return to India.

Remembering, however, that they were against going to Pakistan a few months ago because of what is happening in Pakistan, because of such things like the bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad in September and remembering that they are well paid as representatives of England and that they stand a chance to win, for the next four years, US$1 million each per year courtesy of the Stanford Twenty20 for 20, the surprise may well be if they decide to return to India.

Nowhere is safe

It may, in fact, it will come down to what the security advises and, as it was with Sri Lanka in 1996, as it was with Pakistan recently, that will be very interesting. It is a safe bet that those advising India will come up with the green light and that those advising England, and especially so their players, will come up with the red light.

Terrorists have shown - as they have done in places like Germany at the Olympic Games in 1972, in the United States in 2001, in Bali in 2002, in Istanbul in 2003, in Madrid in 2004, in London in 2005 and in Jaipur, in Ahmedabad and in Delhi recently - that nowhere in the world is safe and that they can strike anywhere and at any time.

With the England players not prepared to be crusaders, with England tipped to say no to returning to India, with India, through Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee, expressing their belief that Pakistan played a part in the destruction of Mumbai and are unlikely to tour Pakistan in January, they have also hinted that cricket may be limited, in the future, to the village greens of England and other local, probably rural settings around the world, including the West Indies.