THE recent unpleasant episode involving Pakistan cricket’s talented but, unfortunately, undisciplined batsman Umar Akmal and head coach Mickey Arthur has snowballed into a major row over the past week. The batsman, after having accused the coach of using harsh words against him at the National Cricket Academy, went straight to the media to lambast him. That earned the ire of the Pakistan Cricket Board which issued the player a show-cause notice on Thursday. However, the PCB’s statement on Friday to refute the allegation against the coach and to condemn Umar Akmal’s actions was not needed. Observers correctly point out that the board should have waited for Umar’s reply instead of immediately supporting Mickey Arthur. Since his international debut back in 2009, Umar has been involved in many a controversy both on and off the field, and his coaches and captains have often disapproved of his behaviour. Having said that, the absence of uniformity in enforcing the disciplinary code in domestic cricket as well as during international tours has allowed erratic players to believe they can get away with committing offences.

Pakistan cricket has had several players on the national team who have either flouted the rules or triggered a row. Saeed Ahmed, Sarfraz Nawaz, Shoaib Akhtar, Ahmed Shehzad, etc have all had their run-ins with the authorities, often facing flak for their actions, or going scot-free. The credit, though, must go to their skippers and the PCB bosses whose wisdom and discreet handling of the situation prevented matters from getting out of hand. There is no doubt that Umar crossed the line by approaching the media and posting a series of nasty tweets for which he ought to be cautioned or penalised. On the other hand, PCB, as the governing body of the game, would be well advised to instal a disciplinary committee to deal with the complaints and problems of players as well as officials rather than going public with such issues.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2017