The cricket debacle

[HASEEB ANSARI]

The cricket debacle
By Fakir S Ayazuddin

With a no-nonsense approach, and with a prime minister who cares for cricket and for his people, the present PCB must be reorganised, and someone knowledgeable should be brought in.

Just when we thought that our cricket could not get worse it did. We left the ICC World Cup without even one point. The sad slump of the shoulders and losers gait gave away what was to be the outcome for the Pakistani cricket team. The Pakistani team looked defeated at the start, the games were a formality. Sure enough, as after the three matches the team was on their way home.

Unfortunately for Pakistan the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) jinx made its presence felt on the cricket ground, and we could do nothing right. Even in the elections where the Zardari coterie had given the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) a walkover. The public and the team felt the fix it was in. Living without power and without water, the team reflected the state of the nation, and a win was out of the question.

We know the team has to be scrapped and rebuilt from scratch, including the search for a new coach. No Woolmer or Whatmore. Both were too soft for what is required here. The Pakistani team needs a new spine. Preferably titanium, but a good dose of Aussie bloody-mindedness is the need of the day. No more nice guys. It is time to repeat here the story of David Beckham, the captain of the England football team and Manchester United. Ferguson and Beckham had a slight altercation in the dressing room and Ferguson kicked a shoe at Beckham, which cut his eyebrow that needed two stitches. Not content with that he benched Beckham for the rest of the season. To do that to the Captain of England and Captain of Manchester United, and the highest goal scorer for Manchester was a bold decision indeed. But then Ferguson was no ordinary coach. This is the sort of person that is required, someone who has plenty of spine to spare. Greg Chappell would be a good choice as he has the qualities our team requires. He has done wonders for the Indian team, and the Indians look favourites to win the tournament. Our present team does not have the raw talent at hand, but there is enough talent available in the country, and a good coach will bring out a world-beater from even a mediocre player, whereas our present players are looking below average.

The cronies of the PPP have done enough damage. Pakistan is already avoided by all the cricketing nations, thanks to the ineptness of Ijaz Butt, the brother-in-law of one PPP crony, Ahmed Mukhtar. His mishandling of the attack on the Sri Lankan team left one gasping at the incredibly inane remarks by the Butt, who was at that time the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), calling Chris Broad a liar. Broad incidentally was the match referee, and duly filed his report, so the ban on Pakistan was put in place where it has remained ever since.

I have written elsewhere that Pakistan cricket has given so much pleasure to its citizens. With so much suffering in their daily lives they need this one temporary relief from their misery. With a no-nonsense approach, and with a prime minister who cares for cricket and for his people, the present PCB must be reorganised, and someone knowledgeable should be brought in. It cannot get worse, but with the right management all the mistakes can be righted. Surely the present members of the board will produce many arguments protecting their positions but the record cannot be changed and they must all be shown the door.

The prime minister will have to decide whether perhaps Imran Khan’s input should be taken, for his success and knowledge is without question, and his integrity cannot be doubted. The PCB should be an independently-appointed body, and then allowed to run itself according to the dictates of the board, whose members should be chosen for their integrity. Surely we can find 12 such men who have not been corrupted. Perhaps Butt should be questioned by the NAB regarding the various contracts ‘farmed’ out, and maybe that should be done before he too is given a presidential pardon.

The writer is a freelance columnist

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