KARACHI: There is a famous saying that nothing succeeds like success and victory has a tendency of hiding most ills.
The same can be said about the present Pakistan team and the Pakistan cricket set-up because the Test series win over South Africa could not have come at a better time for Pakistan cricket and for the cricket board.
The performance of the team in the two Tests after their 2-3 defeat in the one-day series to the South Africans would have pleased many a cricket fan and the two most pleasing aspects of the series were the maturing of young leg-spinner Danish Kaneria and the three successive century stands put up by the opening pair of Taufeeq Umar and Imran Farhat.
Overall, statistically, Pakistan has every right to be satisfied with its performance this home season following its 3-0 and 5-0 sweep over Bangladesh in the test and the results against South Africa, which is officially ranked the number two team in the world.
But then perhaps this is also the best time for the Pakistan Board officials, selectors and the team members to make an honest assessment of their performances and do some rethinking.
As far as the team is concerned, they were and are problems within the team, none better illustrated than by the word going around that Yousuf Youhana, Mohammad Sami and Shoaib Akhtar (although he eventually could not play due to the ban on him) had feigned injuries not to play in Faisalabad.
It didn’t escape the notice of many people that although Sami and Shoaib were said to be injured during the first Test in Lahore yet they were seen playing football wholeheartedly after a day’s play.
It is also no secret that even during the one-day series against South Africa, several of the senior players had gone to former captain Rashid Latif and had offered to back out of the team in his support if he wanted as they were not happy with the fact that the team management and the board had treated him unfairly by forcing him to resign as captain.
And the reason for this behaviour from some of the players is that there is growing mistrust between them and the team management and the selectors.
As far as Javed Miandad is concerned, one has to say this with a pinch of salt that once again the old scenario of few players getting unhappy with him because of his attitude is resurfacing.
But this time he also has valid reasons for being frustrated and unsatisfied with the scenario in the team.
Miandad, one can say, is a sincere and committed man to Pakistan cricket but unfortunately his man management skills still need some polishing.
Until Rashid Latif was captain he kept a tight leash on the extent of authority, which the team management, coach or even the selectors enjoyed and this was one reason why the situation never got out of hand but he became unpopular with the others and eventually had to go.
With his exit, the scenario has changed and it has become increasingly obvious that Miandad now wants more say in selection and other team matters and he has made this obvious even at some press conferences.
Those close to him say that Miandad is increasingly frustrated at the way the selection matters are handled and the way the players are not being allowed to develop among them his own nephew Faisal Iqbal.
“His frustration stems from the fact that he is seeing injustice done and wrong cricketing decisions being made but does not have the authority to do anything,” said one close aide.
The result is that Miandad in the last few weeks has become increasingly bitter and has not bothered to keep his feelings to himself, making him unpopular with some players.
To make matters worse, when Inzamam-ul-Haq became captain, Miandad hoped he would have greater say in team and selection matters but after a few days Inzamam started making it obvious to him who was the boss not only in the training sessions but otherwise also.
The uneasy relationship some of the senior players have with Miandad is obvious from the Saqlain Mushtaq incident.
The off-spinner called him up after being dropped for the test series against South Africa and abused him holding him responsible for his ouster.
But before the Test team was announced Saqlain had also got into an ugly argument with Miandad in the dressing room in Lahore and Moin Khan had to intervene and save the situation.
Miandad is one of the best coaches tactically that Pakistan has had and he also privately blames the senior players for having a “mafia” within the team and not allowing genuine youngsters to prosper.
To illustrate when Mushtaq Ahmed played in the first one-dayer against South Africa and went wicketless it was obvious that he was no longer cut out for international cricket.
Miandad had all along been insisting that Danish Kaneria be played but didn’t get the necessary support.
“Miandad was confident that if Mushtaq played in the second one-day match he would be exposed completely and Kaneria would have to be selected. But to his surprise the next day Mushtaq came up with his injury problem that ruled him out of the one-day series,” said one source.
“Miandad believed this had been orchestrated by some of the senior players to protect Mushtaq and ensured he played in the Test series,” the source confided.
Not surprisingly, Miandad has privately indicated to the Board Chairman that give him a young team sans any seniors and he will get better results and produce an unbeatable squad for the next World Cup.
So it is the same old problem of mistrust between some of the senior players and Miandad resurfacing.
To add to the problems is the fact that chief selector Aamer Sohail appears incapable of having a civilised and good working relationship with anyone.
This might be because of his tendency to interfere too much in team affairs and to believe everything he does or say is the final word in cricket.
Not surprisingly, this has put him at loggerheads with chief executive Rameez Raja who was furious when he came to know about the inclusion of two more players in the Pakistan squad for the second test making it 18 players in the squad.
It is also no secret that Rameez never saw eye to eye with Sohail over the Rashid Latif affair and minced no words when the selectors recalled a jaded Moin Khan back into the team.
One just hopes the situation is controlled but for this there is acute need for the Board officials to not only try to diffuse the situation and prevent anymore mistrust between players and Miandad and among themselves but also to do some serious rethinking.
One just had to witness the way the organisation and marketing of the series against Bangladesh and South Africa was performed to realise the improvement is needed in many areas.
It was a learning experience to hear and see hoardings and banner sites being sold and than resold in the stadiums and to hear the complaints of the sponsors of being neglected to fully gauge the situation.
What is also not good for the image of the Board are stories about how some people in the board with the knowledge of the Chiarman have favoured their close ones in awarding advertising/sponsorship contracts in the series etc.
One does not want to go into details but the fact that the gate money shown after the first One-day International in Lahore was way below the projected revenues is testimony to the fact that the Board needs to improve its organisational and diplomatic skills in many areas.
The appoint of former Test player Mohammad Illyas as manager of the Pakistan under-19 team and his son-in-law Imran Farhat’s recall to the Pakistan team following a spate of critical statements and interviews about the board by Illyas has not left a very good impression about the Board.
And it is not good news that some construction problems with the National Cricket Academy in Lahore are already being reported.
To make matters worse the chief selector Aamer Sohail has become a laughing stock with his habit of criticising his own players on television.
But all is not bleak in the Pakistan cricket board and a lot can be built around the recent heart-warming cricket results.
The Board can take credit for the good results and most notably for some of the bold decisions it took immediately after the World Cup but it can still improve in lot of areas, that is if it is willing to see the writing on the wall and buckling down to some honest assessment.
