Pakistan Cricket needs to mend its ways for the game to survive in the country - Opinion
Pakistan Cricket has been entangled in controversies for more than two years now and it is high time that the cricket authorities in the country take special efforts to put their house in order, sadly until now the attitude by the Pakistan Cricket Board
(PCB) has been unsatisfactory.
If the cricket board in Pakistan thinks that all bad that is happening in the country’s cricket will somehow go away on its own then they are mistaken as serious efforts need to be taken to rid the country’s cricket from the plaguing controversies.
Apart from facing international humiliation due to the involvement of three main players (http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohammad-Asif-c1993) in spot-fixing in 2010, that saw them banned from the sport for a minimum of five years, things at home aren’t so perfect
either as the PCB has been criticised by many regarding the selection of the players, coaches or even captains of the national team.
The most recent problem originated when one-day skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755’s tour of the West Indies this year.
The statements by Afridi left many in the PCB bitter, consequently resulting in his ouster as the captain of the national team. This certainly did not go down well with many in the country as there was a general perception that Afridi was the right man for
the job as he had handsomely led the national squad in the International Cricket Council (http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625) World Cup 2011, where a written-off Pakistan team left the world awestruck by reaching the semi-final of the mega event.
However, Pakistan’s World Cup dream was ended by arch rivals http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750, who defeated the Men in Green in the knockout game. Nonetheless, Afridi had returned home as a triumphant captain who was welcomed by the countrymen with open arms as the people in cricket
crazy Pakistan felt that Afridi had led the team to a performance which was beyond anyone’s expectations.
The PCB certainly stirred up a hornet’s nest by removing Afridi as a new controversy engulfed the country. Afridi has now retired from international cricket and is busy playing county cricket in England, however, the 31-year-old hard-hitting all-rounder
has expressed his desire to play for the home side once http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ijaz-Butt-c64128 the chairman of the PCB is removed because according to him Butt is incapable of running things in the board and is instrumental in harming the game in the country.
If this behaviour by the cricket authorities persists, young players will stop playing the game which will starve the country from retaining a formidable backup which is imperative for the survival of the game in the country.
The PCB needs to consider the example of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), a country which gained prominence in the world by producing exuberant cricketers like http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Brian-Charles-Lara-c48471 is now facing a great problem
in finding talented youngsters interested in playing cricket.
Pakistan should work to avoid a similar fate like that of the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 the countries who have kept a solid backup by encouraging youngsters and giving senior players well deserved retirements
instead of pushing them out of the national squad when they still were performing for the country.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article do not represent Bettor.com’s editorial policy
Tags: