The recent happenings in the realm of women’s cricket have resulted in judicial intervention

THE PCB must be fuming at having had their motives questioned and their actions spurned. The country’s most organized and high profile sports organization, headed by a serving general, has seen its advice to International Women’s Cricket Control Authority ignored by the Holland-based body in the recent dispute regarding the women’s national team.

The PCB after all did not go out seeking this unenviable task of bringing together two sets of women, nor did it ever have any interest in heading the women’s cricket. It has enough on their hands in sorting out the domestic quarrels of their grown up men’s team. It was a job handed down to PCB by the High Court. Perhaps, only a person bearing the clear headedness and common sense of a judge could have sensed that this was an issue that had to be passed on.

PCB went about it in the proper way, acting as arbitrators between the two camps of warring women in a scenario, but it should have realized that the benefit of doubt should have gone to the set of women who had been preparing for this event for quite some time and were the officially recognized representatives from Pakistan.

Someone higher up, possibly the PCB Chairman himself, should have called an immediate truce, perhaps asked two or three women to be incorporated from the other claimants, given all the ladies a pep talk should have promised a settlement of the issue, upon their return.

PCB has, till now, not followed any of the women’s cricket, professionally. This would have been a good time to send along a PCB coach to witness the performance of the women against the other countries and to judge the standards of women’s cricket among the six qualifying teams. A report could then be filed on each player, and the weak points of the team. A talent hunt could have been launched in major cities, with an eye on overall talent.

Perhaps, PCB did attempt to put together a compromise between the two sides, when they called a cricket camp at the Gaddafi Stadium after being told by the courts to step in. What they should have realized is that the players from Karachi had an obligation and commitment to their colleagues, who had been playing alongside them. There was an understanding and to ditch them at the last minute and to accept playing with fellow women who had never been recognized by the IWCCA, would have been embarrassing for them.

It would have been an anonymous team in an anonymous tournament. No one would have blamed the PCB for any embarrassing defeats. After the World Cup, who would have shed tears over our women for not winning a six-nation qualifying tournament held in Holland, featuring countries like Japan, Scotland, Netherlands and Ireland?

Further, the PWCCA had a letter from the PCB itself, when Arif Abbasi was the CEO a few years ago, which recognized PWCCA as the sole representative of women’s cricket. A gentleman’s approach should have been to respect that letter from a former head of the PCB and to honour a commitment. PCB should have helped the PWCCA, to prepare a constitution, hold free and fair elections of the local bodies and then should have left it to them to elect a president.

The PWCCA could then, have been affiliated with the PCB just as the English women cricketers have come under the ECB. Had the PCB looked closely at the schedule of events during the qualifying tournament, they would have noticed that there is a general body meeting scheduled, where all the countries are going to vote on whether they should apply for membership of the ICC.

It would have been clear from there that the women all over the world are not trying to go at it alone. The IWCCA would, itself have put pressure on any women’s cricket association from Pakistan to get itself affiliated with the PCB. All that the PCB had to do was to wait for the PWCCA to come to them.

The High Court judgment was passed a year ago, but it is strange that till June this year there were still two groups of women cricketers drifting further apart from a compromise. PCB has been so involved with the plight of Pakistan men’s team that women’s cricket resolution was at the end of their priority list.When they did roll up their sleeves and started to get the issue sorted out, they were on the crest of a With-Us-Or-Against-Us policy.

Ironically, the PCB management has been left sitting in its place, as the women’s team flew out in the darkness of the night. They have already played and defeated Japan and are being recognized as the Pakistani team. To their credit, they bowled out the Japanese for 26 in 34 overs, after scoring 181-6. Fifteen-year old Sajida Shah, who had become the youngest woman participant in international cricket when she played against Ireland aged 12, took seven for four, the best analysis ever in women’s international cricket. Khurseed Jabeen took three for two in 10 overs, which equals the most economical spell of all times. It would be a tragedy if the team was to be disowned by PCB and the records struck off as irrelevant.

PCB has perhaps every right to seek legal action against IWCCA. However, it should also take note of the comment made by the its President Christine Brierley, who claimed that despite what she was hearing, the IWCCA had received no official government statement informing them that the PWCCA is no longer a recognized body to represent the interests of Pakistan’s women’s cricket.

Of course, the IWCCA is probably fed up with both PCB and PWCCA, as Brierley stated tersely that: “It does not assist world cricket and the IWCCA to be continually involved, in what is essentially a domestic matter for Pakistan cricket.”

Tough words for the men at Gaddafi Stadium to absorb and it wouldn’t be surprising if the anger is taken out against Shaiza Khan, who has cleverly and boldly outsmarted the PCB lawyers. Her counter suit against PCB was indeed a master stroke. She felt that when PCB started to hold trial matches, they had acted outside of their mandate. Perhaps, what she meant was that the PCB had been asked to resolve the differences not to hold trials and select the squad.

Shaiza Khan and her lawyers also pounced on comments made by some PCB executives, which she defined as irresponsible and even succeeded in placing a restraining order on the PCB. She has threatened to hold PCB for contempt of court for saying that the matter had been resolved.

PCB has perhaps never been taken on like this and floored. They are crying foul after becoming the laughing stock of the sports bodies. Imagine a woman from the masses, telling the premier sports body of the country, headed by a serving general, to keep quiet on the issue!

It is feared that the PCB will come down heavily on the women’s team, when it returns. Shaiza Khan may especially be taken to task. But she too, is influential and will fight back. The conflict will eventually spread, as both sides will seek alliances in the government, to save their egos.

The PCB Chairman should not forget that there are always other people after the job and will exploit this mishandling. He has artfully silenced most of his contestants, by absorbing them in the PCB set-up and has silenced the issues that could expose some of the team mismanagement, over the last three years. Now it appears that he is unnecessarily leading PCB into a fight, at a time when there is a battle brewing up with KCCA and there is the danger of a restructured domestic set up running short of finances to back regional cricket.

Worst of all, it has once again distorted our image abroad as a nation. Someone in the PCB should have the foresight to preempt these issues. This is not the age of forcing decisions on people, it is the age of reaching them amicably with give and take.