August 15, 2004

AS I was writing my last column, Ramiz Raja was still talking about the future plans of Pakistan Cricket Board with which he was associated since time immemorial, and of which he was the honorary chief executive officer for an embarrassing length of time. However, by the time the column appeared in print, which means a time lag of not more than two days, he became a non-entity in the PCB, suddenly realizing that he was not doing justice to the exalted office.

Interestingly, when the realization dawned on him, he was sitting miles and miles away from home, earning his bread and butter by doing television commentary. Why could not this issue of doing or failing to do justice cropped up in his mind while he was signing his television contract, and what was the trigger behind his rather abrupt exit, are things that can be relished on the grapevine, but not here. All I can share with you is that most people are talking of Ramiz’s exit and the proceedings of the Senate Committee on Sports in the same breath.

Anyway, the best expression under such circumstances is, better late than never. And the nation must be grateful to the former honorary chief executive to have finally conceded that he was not doing justice to the job.

Having read in the papers about the questions that were asked by the Senate body and the unconvincing replies of the PCB Chairman — and indeed his clarification the next day — I would highly recommend to the Senate body not to get distracted by the abrupt exit of Ramiz and take its inquiry to its logical conclusion. This naturally involves inviting Ramiz for hearings while taking up matters related to his tenure. I am sure Ramiz, the honourable gentleman that he is, will have no problems with that.

The Senate body, as I said a few weeks ago, is the nation’s last hope in terms of incorporating some sense and purpose in the working of the PCB, and all individuals and bodies must cooperate with it fully. It is because of the Committee that we now know of the kind of ‘professional’ working that the PCB had through its team of ‘competent’ and ‘honorary’ people.

Here I would like to quote just one example. Former cricketers were denied complimentary tickets during the India series on the ground that even President General Pervez Musharraf was visiting the venues with paid tickets. Now we come to know that millions were spent on complimentary tickets. What we still don’t know is who were the beneficiaries. All activities at the PCB level are naturally conducted in the name of its Chief Patron, and those who have tried to tarnish the image of the President of Pakistan must be made accountable.

Now, on to the issue of what might happen next. The gut feeling in relevant circles is that the board might go for some former bureaucrat. The feeling is based on the kind of appointments that have been made in the PCB over the last few months. In my humble opinion, if that is done, it would be a disaster, for there would be no one with any understanding of modern international cricket at the helm of affairs.

Before anyone starts talking about what is the trend in Australia, England and some other countries, let me reiterate what I have said many a time before, that most of the things that work well for, say, the Australians, do not necessarily work well for us. In fact, they do not work for us at all. I am a firm believer of the importance that must be accorded to ground realities, and the reality is that if you do not have at the top a senior cricketer with proper, first-hand exposure to the modern game, the lads would continue to get off the hook with one excuse or the other. I am sure the Senate Committee would give it a thought while preparing its recommendations.

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