Daily Times

LAHORE: The idiotic Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB), who just loves to be in the news for all the wrong reasons, has put a full stop on the career of another talented Pakistan cricketer. Opener Imran Farhat announced his retirement from international cricket on Wednesday. He made the decision after meeting with the PCB to get a No-Objection Certificate to participate in the Masters Champions League which starts in the United Arab Emirates on Thursday (today). Farhat’s decision, no doubt a forced one, is in line with the PCB’s policy that requires those wishing to play in the MCL, a T20 tournament for retired cricketers, to sign a letter announcing the end of their international careers, which would be irrevocable in the future. Only then would the board grant NOCs.

Farhat tried his best to get the NOC without announcing this retirement but in vain. The inexplicable decision of kicking out experienced cricketers defies understanding. But the PCB seems to excel in making dubious decisions of an arbitrary nature which defy all reasoning and common sense. The PCB’s ‘sage’ officials, knowing little about the game, are a group of sycophants and the good of the game is farthest from their agenda. The PCB has become the cause of much embarrassment around the globe. There are serious problems with Pakistan cricket. The poisonous practice of patronage is the main problem in the realm of Pakistan sports. People are appointed who have no basic understanding or knowledge of the game, what to speak of its intricacies and finer points. And the PCB is no exception. Pakistan cricket has passed into the hands of slippery individuals with the worst credentials.

Farhat, 33, last represented Pakistan in June 2013, but has been a regular feature in Pakistan’s domestic circuit. He has played 181 first-class matches and 191 List A matches, but was left out in the drafts for the inaugural Pakistan Super League in February. His latest appearance was in a national one-day championship fixture for Habib Bank Limited on January 22. Farhat, who has signed with the Sagittarius Strikers, joins former team-mates Abdul Razzaq, Saleem Elahi, Mohammad Yousuf, Saqlain Mushtaq, Rana Naved, Taufiq Umar, Yasir Hameed, Mushtaq Ahmed, Azhar Mehmood, Hasan Raza, Humayun Farhat, Mohammad Khalil in the tournament. In all, Farhat, who made his international debut as an 18-year old in 2001, played 40 Tests with three centuries, 58 ODIs with one century and seven T20Is.