Pakistan cricket was doing reasonably well before intrigue took over. In the last couple of years, there have been so many changes at the highest level that the game of cricket perforce has suffered. Why is the position of the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman so attractive that all kinds of people jockey for it, and, with the appointment of a new PCB chief, what are the requirements that would render a person suitable for the job?

I have seen many PCB chiefs come and go. Some did a good job, others performed their duties tolerably well but a fair lot of them were self-centred, in fact selfish, using cricket assets to pursue their own ends.

At present, Pakistani society is going through a strange phase and any analysis must be in that context. I will not focus on other countries here, despite my considerable experience and discussions with the likes of Don Bradman, John Arlott, and Polly Umrigar and having seen the performance of cricket board chiefs of various countries at the International Cricket Council, where I attended five meetings with the then Pakistan Board of Control for Cricket president Hafiz Kardar.

What are the qualities needed in a PCB chief? The first and foremost is that his knowledge of cricket must be above average; he must be someone with a deep understanding of the game and its compulsions.

Many Pakistan cricket chiefs dragged down the reputation of the game

Leadership qualities emanate from a selfless personality in which the game and the players are placed above any silly rule or regulation and the ego of the chairman. I have seen many Pakistan cricket chiefs dragged down the reputation of the game because they lack this essential quality of selflessness.

In fact, most PCB chiefs appear to have taken up the post to satisfy their own ego. The PCB is a rich organisation with lots of money, but that money is not meant to be used for projecting oneself. The PCB constitution needs only one amendment, that no chairman of the cricket board will use any financial resources belonging to the latter for travel, not even for official meetings since it is an honorary post. By and large, PCB heads appear to have made considerable use of PCB resources to project themselves.

Besides having a deep knowledge of cricketing matters, PCB chiefs need to show the ability to manage and organise. Past chiefs, barring perhaps Hafiz Kardar, did little for the players.

Leadership qualities in a country such as ours, where systems and institutions are virtually non-existent, mean that the chief has to be a man of many parts. ‘Consilience’ is the word that comes to mind ie he must be able to make decisions that extend beyond the game and cover many other areas, such as image building, negotiating with fellow cricket boards and addressing controversies with potential diplomatic repercussions. In this regard, his qualities of persuasion must be supreme. These will not work unless the person is well respected at home and abroad.

Pakistan cricket — in fact, sports in the country in general — lacks proper management. That is why we are where we are. What is needed is for the PCB chief to be able to give a useful analysis of a situation, and be respected for doing so. Does he have credentials to convince foreign cricket boards? How many people on the board can boast professional output? Has the board the means to persuade foreign teams to come to Pakistan and ensure security for the players that come here? I can recount many mistakes when the Sri Lankans were attacked in Lahore in 2009. We have run out of cricketing friends.

Many PCB chairmen may be intellectually well-endowed in their respective professions but their learning is not necessarily transferable to cricket.

A well developed mind — not brains, for you and I have the same brains as Einstein in terms of weight — that can change the fate of Pakistan’s cricket and provide the pleasure of watching cricket to Pakistani audiences inside Pakistan is needed.

Kardar used his own resources and therefore could be arrogant, but others have often shown conceit without putting in any effort to contribute to the game’s enrichment.

What a pity that the courts had to step in because intrigue and interference was evident in the affairs of the PCB. Lastly, the cricket team is full of icons who have brought glory to the game, and the PCB chief must not be seen to indulge in politics, disregarding them. He must treat them fairly and with respect. The need is not for a person who tries to project his ego but one who gets the job done, while keeping a low profile. At the end of the day, it is the game that should rule.

The writer formerly headed the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2014