Yousuf and Younis, the senior most players for Pakistan, in the international circuit, will surely still harbour hopes of playing for Pakistan, especially given PCB's history of overturning bans imposed after appeals (Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammed Asif, etc). But the question to be asked is: WHY WAS THIS BAN IMPOSED IN THE FIRST PLACE?
Was Pakistan so badly hurt by the three whitewashes away to Australia that banning their two most experienced players seemed a reasonable step? Seniors need to play an important role in their side, especially when you hear about youngsters like Umar Akmal who like to punch above their weight. It was reported that Umar Akmal threatened to sit out of the Third Test against Australia if his elder brother Kamran Akmal was dropped from the eleven.
What on earth was Umar thinking? Just 5 Tests old, what gave Umar the self-confidence to pull off such a coup? For all we know, he might next say that he will stop playing cricket unless he is given the captaincy!
In addition to these life bans, Shoaib Malik and Rana Naved have been banned for one year each. Heavy fines have been imposed on Umar Akmal, Kamran Akmal and Shahid Afridi. Pakistan cricket, in a perpetual crisis, is plunging deeper and deeper into a blackhole - and PCB is aiding the freefall, rather than curing it.
Pakistan is a country that has always managed to produce wonderful cricketing talents. Youngsters in the team have usually made a favourable impression on the field. But PCB lacks the facility to groom such talents and guide them to become a force. Individualism has often taken its toll and as a result, Pakistan cricket has always been the sufferer.
I think the time has come for PCB to go the CSA way. Cricket South Africa is in the process of completely restructuring itself in order to govern the sport better in the country. Maybe that is the solution for PCB as well. Someone needs to make them see it.
This is the time for ICC to step in. But ICC, as usual, is going to say: Sorry, it's an internal matter of the Board - we can do nothing about it.
Oh my, what anarchy! PCB, wake up - it's time to rise! The alarms are ringing...
2 comments:
Hello Sridhar, really nice blog and good writing, how come I hadn't found you before :)
I think it is really problematic for Pakistan to go the SA way simply because mentality and structures are entirely different. I do not expect Pakistan cricket to turn itself upside down in the near future :(
The self-destruction will continue until things implode entirely (or a new president is elected... but I doubt things will change then)
Anyway thank you for dropping by, please keep visiting, and good luck on becoming the next Harsha Bhogle... nahh better become the first Sridhar Jaju :P
Cheers,
Wes
××× Ritzkrieg over Kiwiland ×××
Hey Wes! I am new to blogging. Just started about a month and a half back.
Anyways, I think everyone agrees upon one thing - something drastic needs to be done for Pakistan cricket. Some are happy with this particular drastic move, some have other suggestions. But its not good for cricket to see men like Yousuf and Younis being treated this way, especially considering that Mr. Ijaz Butt is no saint himself.
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