Cricket is a sport where one needs maturity as much as physical fitness. Take the case of Umar Akmal for instance. He has all the hand eye coordination that a person could possibly need, yet he is as petulant as a two year old
kid when it comes to playing proper, professional cricket. It is therefore left to mature cricketers like Younis Khan to step in, and step up to save the game for the Pakistani cricket team.
In the recently concluded first Test match, the Pakistani duo of Younis Khan and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Misbah-ul-Haq-c1972’s rearguard fight to draw the Test match was a sight to behold. It was no less than splendour awash in masterful craftsmanship. Therefore
at the end of the match when Misbah-ul-Haq proudly claimed that this draw felt like a win, one had to nod in agreement.
But the woes of Pakistan cricket are not confined to the on-pitch deficiencies alone. Consider Younis Khan, who was banned for life after the Pakistan tour of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746. No reasons were given for his ban, and it remains a mystery
to this very day. But what really shocked people is the ineptness with which the PCB turned its colours. After banning Younis Khan, it was given that they would stand by their decision. However as it now turns out, the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 Cricket Board could not have
been more casual in its approach.
And then there is the very curious case of Zulqarnain Haider. He made 80 odd runs in England and then to his sheer astonishment, was told that he had a broken finger. In Dubai, he reportedly received threats and then in the utter
chaos that ensues in the throes of Pakistan cricket, he fled to England not knowing who to trust in the Pakistani cricket setup.
Instead of coming to his aid and rescue, the PCB took an unfathomable course of action: suspending Zulqarnain Haider and launching an ‘inquiry’. The poor chap already disoriented by the disastrous circumstances prevalent in his
life could not have felt more miserable knowing that those who were supposed to protect him had in fact become the prosecutors themselves.
But Zulqarnain Haider isn’t the only eyesore that stands out in the plethora of monstrosities that one can see today in Pakistani cricket. Take the case of the banned troika i.e. Salman Butt, Muhammad Aamir and Muhammad Asif. The
Pakistan Cricket Board, just like Zulqarnain Haider, has abandoned them to eat dust. To the casual observer, it would have appeared that the PCB would go all out, sirens blaring in defence of their cricketers but here too Pakistani fans were left severely
disappointed. The PCB not only abandoned them, but also told them not to expect any help from the in-house legal team.
To pour misery on to this whole sordid affair, the Board insists that the tainted trio are still in the process of understanding the dynamics of their case, and that their legal representatives are yet to understand and devise
a proper case to contest the charges. The PCB further says that this hearing is an internal matter of the International Cricket Council, and therefore the Board and its legal representatives cannot have anything to do with it.
It is indeed a sorry state of affairs that prevails over Pakistan cricket at the moment. When they aren’t being bashed internationally, they are questioned about their alleged links to the corruption prevalent in the game. The
icing on top of this insipid cake is that the Pakistan Cricket Board appears to be immune to their utterly callous attitude in maintaining discipline, and more importantly their image internationally. Much like Umar Akmal appears to be the new problem child
of Pakistani cricket, Pakistan itself appears to be the problem child of international cricket
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