YOUR THOUGHTS?
Where is the team?
By Taimur Sikander (DAWN)
Wednesday, 15 Oct, 2008 | 07:11 PM PST |
In the 80’s and 90’s Pakistan cricket was synonymous with passion and maverick genius. AFP (file photo)
‘Pakistan was one of the leading voices in the game. They were the ones who pushed for neutral umpires; they were the ones who pushed for a World Cup outside of England; and they were the ones who set up the Asian Cricket Conference which became the Asian Cricket Council later. So they have always sort of led the way. But at the moment the Pakistan cricket team is not a sellable product,’ Aamir Sohail and Osman Samiuddin commented recently.
In these tumultuous times it seems the only thing constant with Pakistani cricket, and a lot of other things for that matter, are the words ‘was’ and ‘were,’ former Pakistan cricketer Aamir Sohail recently remarked. It may be premature to speak of Pakistani cricket in the past tense but there is no denying that it ‘was’ the top team in Asia for a good decade, ‘was’ among the top three in the world, fans ‘were’ attracted by its brand of cricket and visiting teams regarded a Pakistan tour as the true test.
Hard times
‘Barring external and uncontrollable factors like the current security situation, the disarray that Pakistan cricket is in is such that the overall effect has blunted the spirit of players who are constantly chopped and changed.’
Pakistan, currently, is only better than Bangladesh, New Zealand and the West Indies. Sri Lanka and India have become the new dominant force of Asian test cricket. Teams are still frightened to tour the country but not exactly for the same reasons. That the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been brought under the control of the Pakistan Ministry of Sports for the first time after functioning independently since 1948 portrays accurately the hopeless state of affairs. And judging by the ministry’s past record of handling sports in the country, it just might be not one, but two steps backwards as far any progress for the game is concerned. The new chairman of the PCB, Ijaz Butt, has his hands full. Among other more significant things, he has to first address the resignation of the board’s chief selector, Salahuddin Ahmed, who has claimed that the Pakistani squad that the selectors picked for the on going Canada T20 quadrangular event was changed without his knowledge. Hardly a controversial start considering what the Pakistani fans have braved over the past few years.
The ‘past few’ years are an understatement if the continual allegations of ball-tampering and match-fixing in the 90’s, doping scandals (past and present), conflicts within the team and the consistent shoddy management of the PCB are accounted for. However, they are particularly significant (the period after the World Cup 2003 first-round exit) in assessing the downward spiral that the national team has experienced thus far. The World Cup 2003 exit unceremoniously ended the careers of Wasim Akram and Saeed Anwar. It also accounted for Waqar Younis and Rashid Latif who soon followed while Saqlain Mushtaq, once touted as the greatest off-spinners of modern day cricket, failed to find a regular place in the team after that. The gaping void left by these great cricketers not only exposed the bare cupboard of Pakistan cricket but also put in focus just how the PCB was managing its affairs. That is not to say that the board was a shining example of success before 2003, but it was just that there were too many natural match-winners in the national side for anyone to pop the hood and take a look. The media, enjoying its new shoes after 1999, played a watchdog role and for the first time the PCB was answerable to the public. Such was the impact of the independent media that the PCB decided to form its own media wing and like every other professional organization became more accessible. The independent media now plays a significant role and no player/official swap, financial irregularity or internal conflict goes unnoticed.
Barring external and uncontrollable factors like the current security situation, the disarray that Pakistan cricket is in is such that the overall effect has blunted the spirit of players who are constantly chopped and changed. The board in all its naivety believes that only a particular combination of players can win it matches and hands out the green caps like candy. Gone are the days when raw talent was thrown in at the deep end and infused with experience brought out an aggression that even the fiercest of foes admired.
The 80’s and 90’s, when Pakistan cricket was synonymous with passion and maverick genius, were a prime example of this. It seems now that after every defeat the PCB changes three or four players at a time, a formula that just doesn’t work. It might work in Australia, where players grind out in the highly competitive (regional) domestic circuit and by the time national duty calls, they are physically and mentally ready for the demands of international cricket. The lack of it was evident in Pakistan’s World Cup 2007 ouster at the hands of the associate nation, Ireland. Osman Samiuddin, Cricinfo’s Pakistan editor, aptly portrayed the sentiments of the fans after that defeat: ‘Pakistan cricket is not dead. Death would be a blessing, a final blow that we could eventually get over. No, we’re in a far worse situation: doomed to exist in a state of perpetual, cyclical near-death, resurrected after every World Cup, only to slowly develop the same cancers, quickly rot, come close to death and then revamp all over again.’
The lack of competition that Pakistan offers and its downward spiral on the ratings chart means that teams just don’t think it worth a tour considering the unpredictable security nature of the country. In 2008, Pakistan has not played a single Test at home. The last non-subcontinent side to tour Pakistan were Zimbabwe, who played five ODIs in January-February 2008. Australia have not toured Pakistan for 10 years. New Zealand have kept their distance since 2002 and England came on a bilateral tour in 2005. However, perceptions of the security threat and it being an issue at all would be justifiable if the same teams boycotted their tour of India and Sri Lanka, both countries which have been experiencing terrorism recently.
Former England captain, Michael Atherton in his column for the Times writes that players power and financial benefits are what dictate the cricketing world, and the dominant reason why the Champions Trophy 2008 was scrapped.
‘Now they are forcing the administrators’ hands, not just picking and choosing their options, but agitating so that matches are arranged for their financial benefit only. Why else would the ECB hire out the national team to a Texan billionaire if not to appease players unable to share riches on offer elsewhere?’
Many former cricketers believe that there are lessons to be learnt from the Board of Control for Cricket in India, at least in the way the game has been marketed. Pradeep Magazine, in his article in the Hindustan Times, attributes ‘Pakistan’s lack of money-power as the main reason for cricket’s regression in the country. Poor Pakistan! What does it have to offer to the cricketing world? Neither sponsors flush with money, or mouthwatering prospects to play in a league like IPL and no social life which can tempt the young, fit hulks.’
Pakistan is suffering from a dearth of good, quality players. Its domestic structure is nowhere up to standard and players are opting to play in more lucrative foreign leagues. The advent of Twenty20 and the money on offer has shifted the balance of power to India. To come out of this mess, Pakistan will need India’s helping hand. Pakistan, for the umpteenth time, needs to overhaul its domestic structure, instill a sporting culture in its dressing room and involve its former greats actively.
The Pakistani cricket fans are a resilient bunch. A succession of controversies, scandals and a lack of discipline and infighting should be cause enough to deter any die hard fans and their affinity with the team. But that’s not the case and, surprisingly, youngsters still aspire to become cricketers and represent Pakistan. The way things are going, the fans don’t even demand a world cup trophy, just a fight would be enough!