Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan cricket is in the news again, for all the wrong reasons. Team manager Talat Ali Malik (TAM), who managed the Pakistan team during their two very successful tours – West Indies and ICC Champions Trophy 2017, was named in the Prime Minister’s cash award list earlier this week after Pakistan won the ICC Champions Trophy for the very first time in their history. Pakistan players, who played in the ICC Champions Trophy and won the title, have become instant millionaires after a string of cash and other rewards announced. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif announced to give cash award of Rs.10 million to each player, and Rs.05 million to all other officials attached with team during the ICC Champions Trophy. TAM was to get Rs.05 million along with the foreign coaching staff of the Pakistan team. But within 24 hours, the list was revised by the Prime Minister Secretariat and TAM’s cash award has been slashed to Rs.2.5 million. Now this is an unjust act. How the Prime Minister Secretariat could reduce the prize money of the team manager whose contributions to Pakistan cricket are quite respectable. TAM’s management skills are known to all and sundry. He has managed, very efficiently, the Pakistan A and senior teams in the past as well, and without any scandals. To equate TAM with other lower staff of the Pakistan team is beyond one’s comprehension. To give more cash award to the foreign coaching staff, who were part of Pakistan’s dismal tours Down Under earlier this year, than TAM is nothing but travesty of justice. Such incidents can only happen in Pakistan cricket. PM Nawaz Sharif should look into the matter and TAM should be given the same cash award which head coach Mickey Arthur would get.

TAM was a dogged Pakistan opener who got his Test career off to a traumatic start when he fractured his thumb on debut, facing Dennis Lillee at Adelaide in 1972-73. Pakistan won only one of his 10 matches, when he made 40 and a Test-best 61 at Christchurch in 1978-79. After retiring he became an ICC match referee. The PCB has also announced that besides the cash bonus of 29 million rupees due to the team as part of their central contracts, the Board will also give each player a cash bonus of one million rupees. The team have already pocketed prize money of around 200 million rupees from the ICC for winning the trophy. Famous builder Riaz Malik has also announced cash prizes of one million rupees each and plots for the players while others are slated to follow soon.

Published in Daily Times, June 25th, 2017.