August 24, 2003

IF the Test match against Bangladesh is still on as you read these lines, take it as a moral victory for Bangladesh. I am sure it would have been over and buried long ago, for that should be the only result in view of the opposition that Pakistan is up against, but, then, you never know. The vagaries of cricket and its glorious uncertainties apart, we must also grant some margin for the not-so-glorious uncertainties that are part of Pakistan cricket, especially in its recent phase of rebuilding, but more on it, next week.

Away from home, the Englishmen were able to turn the tables on the rampaging South Africans, registering in the process what they call in England a famous victory. While they did were able to see the back of Graeme Smith returning to the pavilion in both the innings, the manner of his dismissals suggests England bowlers have not quite worked him out yet. He got out to a freak dismissal in the first innings, while a debatable decision brought an end to his second innings. As such, we still have to wait and see what the English team management and its bowlers are doing behind the scenes to find a flaw in Smith’s defence.

But Bangladesh and South Africa are not the subjects I wish to talk about at length today. Saeed Anwar’s retirement, and, to be frank, the compliments paid to him that I have seen in the media, are closer to my heart this week. It goes without saying that Saeed was one of the better batsmen who played for Pakistan during the time that he was active on the international circuit.

What also is beyond doubt — at least as fart as I am concerned — is that he still had a year or so in him, and his decision to hang up his cricketing boots is more out of frustration than volition. To put it simply, Saeed has been forced out of contention by an overzealous sense of rebuilding that has gripped the PCB and, in turn, all its hangers-on.

The result is that the team is suffering and no one feels settled in his place, except, perhaps, the officials even though they are repeatedly going back on their words. They dumped eight players after the World Cup. And I recently read in the press with interest captain Rashid Latif’s statement that “some of the senior players will be back in the series against South Africa.” They have already called back Shoaib Akhtar, Abdul Razzaq and Inzamamul Haq, while Wasim Akram and Saeed Anwar have called it a day. This leaves us with just Waqar Yunis, Saqlain Mushtaq and Shahid Afridi. If this is not going back on their much-publicized rebuilding, what is it?

Mind you, I am not touching in the issue whether or not the captain is doing the right thing by going public with his plans, which happen to be in sharp contrast with what the chief selector has been saying equally publicly. “This is my headache, leave it to me,” he snapped when questioned about his strange selection policies. But such nonprofessional attitude within the PCB is something I have written repeatedly in the recent past without anyone apparently taking any notice of it all.

Back to Saeed Anwar though, he has done what any self-respecting individual would have done under the circumstances. The Board has now offered him a “fitting farewell”, just as it has offered one to Wasim Akram. Some lavish statements have also been made about his stature in the game. Someone called him “at par with Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar”, others have called him “the Vivian Richards of his era.” But, have no doubt, all this praise reeks of routine words that are churned out in such cases.

At the risk of someone trying to give it a rude twist, I wish to say that Saeed Anwar was just that; Saeed Anwar. And that was good enough for Pakistan. The regret is that it should have still been good enough for another year or so, but yet another cricketing career has been brought to an abrupt end by reasons other than of the cricketing kind.

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