It’s over to the new PCB chairman. But is he doing anything new, or simply following the old tune?
WALKING into Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, the Pakistan Cricket Board headquarters, and the first glimpse I saw was Junaid Zia, son of the former cricket chief Tauqir Zia, bowling in a Pakistan “A” practise match. Nothing has changed at the cricket headquarters!
The corridors of power remain as mysterious as they were in the last regime. In fact the mystery was overdone by the “now who saves his post” feeling. The tragedy of our cricket is that it never changes. We thrive on latent talent. Pakistan cricket has defied the law of change like anything and the common feeling among the cricket buffs, so evident from the first come-across-with-media of new chairman Shaharyar Khan and his assertion that I will make the team for the 2007 World Cup, cricket will continue to run on the same lines.
Shaharyar, a proclaimed cricket enthusiast who doesn’t know about cricket administration, follows the footsteps of his predecessor who had 2003 World Cup to play and that he did it to the abject failure of the team.
Hailing from Bhopal, India and a cousin of former Indian captain Mansur Ali Khan Patudi the new cricket boss is a diplomat who served as Foreign Secretary between 1990-94 and was a High Commissioner in UK and France. As a student in Cambridge he played cricket and like his predecessor boasts of having the ‘oomph’ at the age of 69 to have a game or two. What many don’t know is that Mr Shaharyar also plays tabla much to the amusement of all those who attends but it would remain to be seen how he lets others to work to his tune.
“I can still play but neither I am a cricket administrator nor I know any administrator,” he confessed candidly. “The President has directed me to stress on five six points and top of them are merit and discipline in Pakistan cricket and have clean and transparent finances of the Board,” said Shaharyar, who to his credit has a successful Indian tour in 1998-99 as manager and the flopped one of the World Cup this year.
“I did not accept it initially because I had no interest but when said it’s necessary I took the post,” he disclosed, not apparently saying “for the interest of this nation and the country” but it was in-between the lines.
But being a democrat, unsure of when this ad-hocism will end, how did he accept a post in an institution run on ad-hoc basis without any council and accountability?
“This is the tragedy of our country that President of the country appoints the head of the cricket board instead of a council and we have been running our cricket on ad-hoc basis for the last four years so the base will remain the same,” lamented legendary Imran Khan.
While denying he has any specific instructions from the President of not denouncing any of his predecessor’s hiccups, the seasoned diplomat termed all what was done has nothing to do with me but called the television fiasco that led to Tauqir’s resignation, as a “major breakdown.”
“It was a major breakdown when the NZ match could not be telecast. There was a communication gap, would not see what happened in the past. Would not do anything in haste.”
So what’s new the new chairman wants to do?
“I met the President and have requested him that I would present before him short-term and long-term plans in three weeks and then be able to give solid recommendations,” he said, revealing he has received thousands of recommendations (sifarish) for appointments in the Board.
“But I think someone with sifarish has less confidence in his abilities, if someone is on merit why does he need recommendation? I would advertise the key posts in the board.”
One of the major tasks before Mr Khan is to appoint his deputy, a chief executive who would handle the day to day affairs. Ramiz Raja handled that with the best effect but at the alter of his banking and commentary career.
While working at the PCB headquarter, that too honorary, Ramiz not only irked his high-ups in the bank but also raised quite a few eye brows by doing commentary.
So who will be the new CEO? Just like we had a new name for the post of the chairman until Shaharyar Khan was not appointed the kite flying would continue with names of Ramiz, Majid Khan and Arif Abbasi circulating. Ramiz remains the best bet until India tours Pakistan or did he himself chose what’s best for him? The second most important thing would be to settle to a constitution. “The existing constitution (which could not be implemented) looks good at the first glance but on a thorough study one notices major flaws in it so we will form a constitution committee otherwise problems would linger,” he envisages. Once the constitution is implemented the revival of the council is imperative. The way General Zia disintegrated the democratic set up with his inexplicable self appointed provincial associations was lamentable and the confidence of the city associations must be restored with a complete study and thorough deliberations with all those who have been running associations for years. Audit of the PCB accounts comes next. One was a pleasantly surprised to listen from the new chairman that “the audit until the 2002 has been done and leading company Ferguson will be asked to do it.” All that PCB earns is public’s money and they should know where it is spent. During the last regime whenever a sport scribe asked the PCB treasurer Naeem Ahmed, he would sheepishly come with an answer, it’s not for the journalists to know about! And from 1999 to 2003 no audit was made public like all other cricket boards of the world do. The over-staffed PCB headquarter and other extravagant spending had hit the PCB coffers hard.
“People do say the PCB is over-staffed but let’s considers that Board’s activities have increased and staff was needed. We have asked LUMS (Lahore University of Management Sciences) to assess the need of the staff,” declared the new chief. This would be an exercise in futility because not until you decrease your overheads you can never have a good saving.
Then comes discipline — both in domestic and international cricket.
Our first class cricket is like the proverbial, whoever comes prune it to his liking and the result is that we have a different first-class set up every other year. It’s a fact that until and unless our cricket stands up to its feet monetarily, it can’t survive on regional basis. Departments, whoever may call them the bane of our cricket, has helped the cricketers to win their bread and butter.
“We don’t have enthusiasm when Habib Bank plays PIA, we need to have public support and I hope trains full of supporters come and watch Karachi playing Lahore in our domestic cricket,” wished the new boss. Considering the fact that in our country no Board has ever tried to attract the crowd to Tests and One-Day games, it seems wishful thinking. Let the first-class cricket be run on the same lines. One tournament for departments and the other for associations and until the Board has a sponsor for full support through which at least 400-500 first-class cricketers could be paid, the idea of regional cricket should be put aside.
At international level the image of Pakistan cricket has suffered from the bad to the worse. Our players have violated the code of conduct more and ever since ICC imposed penalties on violation seventy per cent of the cases involves Pakistani players.
“Discipline should be the key, when someone wears a green cap he is not only representing the team but the whole country so no violation of discipline would be tolerated because I want clean and clear image for Pakistan cricket.”
Selection in the national team has also defied logic on several occasions. The green Pakistan cap was distributed with so abundance that it looked like a “sale” of the national cap. Some 33 players won the green cap in the last set up.
“The true criteria of merit is the first-class game in your country and when selection process is wrong then only questions are asked. We have players who played just one first-class match and then played a Test and they are no more to be seen. (The case in point was one Yasir Ali who was selected on the recommendation of a Corps Commander to play the Multan Test against Bangladesh in September this year).
We have too many players who have played just one Test but the selection process should have a rationale, even players who hit hundreds were not selected again,” said the new chief.
Just like General Zia admitted, “running cricket affairs was more difficult than running affairs in the army,” the new cricket chief will soon realize the fact that warring nations can achieve truce sooner than warring cricketers shake their hands.
Mr Shaharyar starts his innings, it needs to be seen how he bats and hits out all the problems for a six or his is a mere change for a change!
It’s over to the new PCB chairman. But is he doing anything new, or simply following the old tune? 
