Re: Kehnay Main Kia Harj Hain - 18th May 2010 - Imran Khan
The fickle selections of some great players despite the system must serve as an eye-opener to PCB and everyone
Inzi, Waqar and Aaqib by Imran Khan
Wasim Akram by Javed Miandad
Inzi had been performing well in domestic cricket for 3 or 4 years yet was completely ignored by the selectors so much so that one selector resigned when Imran insisted on Inzi's inclusion. Remember it was Imran's last international year and had he not spotted Inzi in the nets, the latter might have never played for Pakistan!
Similarly Wasim Akram was among the extras who had been invited by the PCB to give batting practice to the national players. How ironic then that Miandad (skipper) found out that Wasim was bowling better than all the bowlers selected for the tour of NZ in 1984/5!
Imran is suggesting fewer teams, hierarchical structure, elected board, fewer regional teams..He has been saying that for thirty years..nobody wants to listen. They keep inviting him and he keeps repeating it. They always conclude with requesting him to become the chairman of PCB. what? Did you even hear what Imran said.
I don't understand why people want Imran to become chairman of PCB to solve Pakistan's cricket misery. Isn't adhoc appointment of chairman the problem to begin with?
He is offering to be a consultant with no vested interest in the board. Pakistan should count its blessings and make the most of this man before it is too late. People like him are wasted in Pakistan.
hence kehne main kya harj hai!!
I remember both Shahryar Khan and Nasim Ashraf inviting Imran soon after taking over as PCB chairman. Imran actually mentions that he even gave them his suggestions in writing. Yet nothing was ever done because the mafia as he puts it (i.e. banks and departments) were simply not willing to comply with his proposals
And his point that banks and departments (PIA etc.) should be sponsoring the various regional teams rather than having their own teams makes sense. Afterall what interest does anyone have in following a PIA vs UBL match? But if the same game was being played between Lahore and Karachi or between Multan & Peshawar it would get many of us interested for sure.
Imran’s ability to think clearly and rationalize his viewpoint strategically is simply mesmerizing…and these are THE most important attributes to develop, execute, and implement a change management plan in any organization…the only element that he lacks in his management portfolio is flexibility especially when it comes to cricket issues…he considers no one at par with him and I am afraid that such attitude would result in rejection of any other reasonable voice that may arise during the decision making process…..
nonetheless, his viewpoint on our cricket is a well known fact and makes total sense but of course it will never be implemented…and I am not surprised about it..jab poora country hee gutter bun gaya ha, then why to expect one institution to act differently….we deserve ijaz butt and we have him…..we have mafias everywhere….it is a contry run and governed by mafias…
I do not care about rest of the interview as he has been saying these things for last 30 years but that is the first time he mentioned - in a very subtle way - the importance of education especially for the captain…mohammad yousaf, inzi, shoaib malik, rana naveed, afridi, mohammad aamir, mohamad asif, hafeez, ajmal, akmals, all of them may be great players but they are coming from small villages/towns with very little little eductaion and no urban exposure whatsoever in first 20 years of their lives….and with all due respect they posses an intellectual level that at its best is comparable to drivers, mazdoors and what not….as imran said, a captain in cricket has to be really smart with an ability to keep an eye on all subtle technicalities (from which end blowers should be used given their speed and ability to swing etc), take advantage of weaknesses of opposition players, set up the right field and most importantly motivate players with right incentives (the list simply goes on)…essentially he should be a great strategist….argument can be made that pointings, smiths or colignwoods are not Phds either but they belong to developed world and therefore are accustomed to a lifestyle that on a relative scale inherently embeds/requires higher IQ….our players posses a lot of street smartness but once they become part of top 30 players in the lahore cricket academy, they should be trained in a holistic manner involving human psychology, sports strategy, work ethics, integrity and what not......
Re: Kehnay Main Kia Harj Hain - 18th May 2010 - Imran Khan
Fully agree with Imran's views. A strong domestic cricket structure is the pipeline to feed quality cricketers to the top level