Does http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 Cricket need grooming?
Chishti Mujahid was heard saying in one of the interviews that he gave to a television channel, “When we were playing cricket, we were taught basic manners, we were trained and taught table manners, on how to talk, how to walk,
how to even talk to girls, I wonder what happened to all of that,” he said in a disappointed tone.
Chishti Mujahid's word reminds one of the incidents that took place almost a decade ago when http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 was reported to have harrassed an air hostess during a flight. Now these unpleasant instances would have never occured had
there been finishing schools, or academies made for the cricket players to go through.
The grooming of the players has been a subject of great debate these days since the spot-fixing scam emerged in the on-going Pakistan tour of England. Most of the cricket players of Pakistan come from very humble and poor backgrounds,
some even come from villages and far-flung areas of Pakistan. Both of the top bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir alleged in the spot fixing scam come from rural villages.
Moreover, many of the players in the team are not educated, which makes so much of a difference in terms of their perception of morality, ethics, professionalism, and spirit of the game of cricket.
Ramiz Raja was interviewed right after the spot fixing scam emerged, he was in a state of shock, and later he said that he was very lucky to be a part of the team at a time when corruption and match fixing were unheard of as most
of the Pakistani players came from upper-middle class and middle-class families, and an educated background.
“Money was never a problem, to be a part of the Pakistan team was such a huge honor itself, we would just play our best and make our contribution to the side,” Ramiz said, adding, “these days it seems that players are just playing
for greed.”
Ramiz Raja also said that back then, the players made money after becoming stars, and on the contrary the players today want to earn quick money before becoming a hero. It makes sense as none of the emerging Pakistani players can
be called ‘super stars’ besides Mohammad Aamir. Both Umar Amin and Wahab Riaz have been reported to be involved in match-fixing as well, and neither of the two players can be called superstars in the true sense of the word.
The agent of Pakistani players, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Salman-c88163 Ahmed, voiced the same concerns, he even feels that due to the fragile background most of the cricket players come from, they become vulnerable to manipulation and become stumped by excessive
money, they get too tempted to avail any offer that comes their way.
"An 18-year-old who bursts into the limelight and the glamour world needs special grooming. Not only in terms of cricket, but manners and awareness of good and bad," Salman Ahmed told the Daily Times, "Most importantly, wealth
managers should be introduced to them, to these boys, who at one time could not buy a Pepsi and today are brand ambassadors for it."
He was referring to Mohammad Aamir when he made the last statement; Aamir belongs to a small village in Gujjar http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Khan-c71319 and now is the brand ambassador of the international beverage, Pepsi.
According to many cricket experts, the Pakistan cricket players should definitely have some sort of wealth managers or advisors. At the moment, the Pakistan players have the option of earning through the central contracts, beverages,
and cell phone sponsorships and endorsements.
The current Pakistan team is full of young and inexperienced players; they need all the guidance, grooming and education in the world so that they do not get misled. The only way this can be achieved is by making academies that
teach proper basic manners, grooming, playing ethics and moral grounds, and most importantly educate them in every possible manner.
There is just one academy that has tried to come close to achieving the goals mentioned above, and that academy is called “National Cricket Academy” which was built seven years ago, in Lahore by the former PCB chairman Tauqir Zia,
where courses to educate the players were finally introduced.
There are many such academies that are needed all over the country, which will act like a finishing school for many players, and groom them enough, so that they could better human beings and ambassadors representing their country
on international forums.
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