Dear Sir,
For the last couple of years, what invariably follows a match involving the Pakistan cricket team is the sight of you ranting and pontificating on some televisoon show. Your ‘expert’ opinions have never been anything more than a ludicrous mix of contradictory and pompous statements. The offensive spiel you delivered following Pakistan’s recent loss to the West Indies in the ongoing world cup was utterly astonishing. Among a flurry of the usual expletives, you made some extremely derogatory comments about Misbahul Haq and Younis Khan.
While I refuse the temptation to stoop to Basit Ali’s jingoistic line of questioning your patriotism on the basis of your association with an Indian channel, it is necessary that you be reminded of a few facts. Younis Khan’s recent one-day international (ODI) form is far from impressive and there is a good case for him not playing in the rest of the matches. Some of Misbah’s tactics as captain are also questionable and he must accept at least part of the blame for such a poor performance from his team. Yet, the contributions of these two to Pakistani cricket are huge and, I dare say, far greater than yours.
Younis Khan does not only hold the record for most test centuries by a Pakistani batsman, he has also played countless match defining innings and has led Pakistan to its sole T20 global title. In addition to this, having been responsible for more dismissals than any other fielder (other than wicketkeepers), he has an illustrious fielding record to boast of in the tests and ODIs. His efficiency as a fielder can be gauged from the fact that he has played 124 fewer ODIs than Afridi yet has eight more dismissals to his credit than him.
Additionally, Misbahul Haq is the most successful Pakistani test captain, Pakistan’s most consistent and reliable batsman in tests and ODIs for a number of years, the only Asian captain to have won an ODI series against South Africa in South Africa, joint record holder for the fastest test 100 and by far the most prolific Asian batsman in the ODIs outside Asia. He even averages above Sachin Tendulkar and Kohli. Moreover, Misbah’s contribution to Pakistani cricket should not be judged by numbers alone. He took over a team in exile, which was teetering upon corruption and disgrace, and transformed it into a pretty decent unit. Rumours of fixing, indiscipline and drug abuse finally died down after his appointment and Pakistan recorded two whitewashes against top ranked test teams. He achieved all this despite severe criticism pouring down on him from all directions as well as the continuing royal mess at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) headquarters. In Kamran Abbasi’s words: “He stood between Pakistani cricket and the end.” In fact, he will go down in history as a leader who could not save Pakistan cricket from total destruction but he did manage to delay it for five years.
In comparison to the contributions of Younis Khan and Misbahul Haq, and the fact that they belong to a rare breed of true gentleman cricketers, what have you, sir, to show for yourself other than the fastest ball (which is also not official, by the way), your career marred by drug abuse, disciplinary problems and real and fake injuries? I have been an avid cricket fan throughout my life but I do not remember more than five or six matches from your 16-year career in which you actually achieved a win for Pakistan with your bowling.
In no way am I suggesting that Younis and Misbah, or anyone for that matter, should not be criticised. However, the criticism should be fair, objective and within the bounds of decency. It is unbecoming of an expert to say baseless and indecent things on television, like ordinary fans on social media sites. It is not unusual for ill-bred men, who shoot to sudden fame by a stroke of good luck, to contract megalomania, insolence and hauteur but, at a certain age, one must learn to behave like a grown up and a decent human being. I hope you can understand what I mean.
Sincerely,
A cricket fan
The writer is a freelance contributor. He tweets @atifhussain40