WITH cricket’s showpiece event, the ICC Cricket World Cup, due to begin next month in Australia and New Zealand, the successive defeats experienced by the Pakistan team in tour games this week as well as a nasty row over central contracts have blighted the national team’s preparations.

Pakistan’s back-to-back defeats at the hands of a lowly ranked New Zealand Board President’s Eleven has come as a setback.

Also read: Pakistan suffer another defeat against New Zealand Board President’s XI

The team, though buoyed by skipper Misbah-ul-Haq’s recovery from a hamstring injury and the welcome return to form of Umar Akmal, failed to get its act together as both batting and bowling struggled to measure up in the two matches.

Meanwhile, the team’s woes have been exacerbated by a needless central contracts row that has been simmering over the past few days, thanks once again to the short-sighted approach of the Pakistan Cricket Board officials.

Instead of issuing fresh contracts to the national cricketers based on their recent performances in international cricket, the PCB opted to extend their previously awarded contracts by three months.

This has earned the players’ ire and, to a large extent, has taken their focus away from the job at hand. The PCB decision, besides being shorn of logic, has shown the star performers of the recent series in the UAE against Australia and New Zealand in a poor light.

Capable players such as wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed, batsmen Haris Sohail, Fawad Alam and pacer Mohammad Irfan have all failed to find a place in the top categories, while others that remained on the sidelines for the most part of 2014 owing to injuries and suspensions, dominate the contract ratings.

The players have also expressed their reservations at the abolishment of the win bonus clause by the PCB which was earlier applicable on a per match basis. With each and every game having utmost importance in the World Cup, the players have demanded the PCB restore the win bonuses which are being seen as an incentive for them to excel in the extravaganza.

Published in Dawn January 28th, 2015

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