OF late, the ‘gentleman’s game’ of cricket has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons in Pakistan. As the past week has shown, both players and officials have contributed in no small measure to the crisis that besets the game today. While a probe is surely on the cards and heads set to roll following the national team’s dismal performance at the Asia Cup and ICC World T20, the series of events that unfolded in the aftermath of the defeat have plunged Pakistan cricket into an even deeper quagmire. Leaked reports, allegations, counter-allegations, the unbecoming conduct of the head coach and captain, coupled with the cricket bosses’ many administrative goof-ups, have provided juicy fodder for the rumour mill. It has led to fans and experts clamouring for a change of policy and personnel at the Pakistan Cricket Board. From the outset, the PCB’s in-house fact-finding committee probing the World T20 flop had caused doubts to be raised about its impartiality in outlining the key reasons for the disaster and focusing on the real culprits. For those who know the game, it shouldn’t be difficult to identify those responsible for the results. With Pakistan’s downward spiral in the limited-over games now a good 20 months old, one wouldn’t even need a day to point out the blundering players and officials who failed to deliver during this period.

Skipper Shahid Afridi, head coach Waqar Younis, manager Intikhab Alam, bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed, batting coach Grant Flower and erratic players such as Ahmed Shehzad, Umer Akmal, Wahab Riaz, Shoaib Malik and a few others have been chiefly responsible for Pakistan’s inglorious performance at the mega events. However, the Pakistan cricket team’s unending woes on the field have been compounded by the glaring management deficiencies of chairman Shaharyar Khan, executive committee head Najam Sethi and chief selector Haroon Rasheed. None of these high-profile men have proved themselves worthy of the challenge. Lacking clarity of vision and decisiveness of action, they have allowed Pakistan cricket to drift into mediocrity, the shameful episodes of the leaking of the manager’s and coach’s reports being the last straw. The continuing unrest in the country is a perfect metaphor for Pakistan cricket. And with a patron completely oblivious to the challenges confronting the game and ad hocism being the order of the day at PCB, it is going to take nothing short of a miracle to retrieve the shambolic situation.

Published in Dawn, April 3rd, 2016