Cricket is indubitably the passion of Pakistanis. Regardless of creed and class denomination, this sport is equally popular across the country. Even, kids, women and the elderly love to watch, if not play, it especially when there is an encounter between archrival India and Pakistan. The recent match between these teams in the Champion Trophy, which is to be played in England, is a case in point. At least a week before the start of one of the most awaited and watched match, the popular passion was initially ignited and later covered by the media.
The healthy sign is that Pakistan cricket team is also getting on the track and the most recent bright performance against the West Indies is a reflection of good teamwork, better coaching and effective team management as well as the board (PCB) where Najam Sethi, in particular, played an important role in not only introducing innovative ideas, i.e., hosting PSL final in Lahore, but also demonstrating diplomatic skills to magnify Pakistani cricket not just to the International Cricket Council (ICC) but to the entire cricket loving nations including India.
I still can recall the summer of 2010 when the team started facing institutional, legal and fiscal hardships in the wake of the infamous ‘no-ball’ episode which resulted in a ban on a couple of our finest fast bowlers and an emerging opener and (test) captain. And, the lesser said the best about our cricketing woes during the 2000s when non-professionals were appointed to every department by the Musharraf regime.
Although Indian team visited Pakistan in 2003, the very country refused to play in and with Pakistan after the 2008 Mumbai attack. Indeed, from the Saleem Malik controversy (2000), in which we lost our best batsman and captain, to Amir-Asif-Salman scam (2010), Pakistan cricket had its worst days. The intermittent incident of terrorism further unleashed misfortune on not just our cricket bur also the country. To cut the long story short, Pakistan cricket management has been, on average, remained non-satisfactory during the decades. Pakistan own the 1992 world cup due to luck (A defeated B and C got benefitted) and extraordinary team work especially by Inzemam, Miandad and Wasim Akram. Imran Khan’s role as a captain was crucial but it was not the sole factor behind our success then.
The politics of cricket ought to get replaced with the politeness of cricket because cricket is, in principle, all about sportsmanship
He is now an active politician, but interestingly, his interest in the game is not yet over. Day in and day out, he is seen in some square or TV channel criticising the cricket team and the management. In particular, Najam Sethi, the former interim chairman of the PCB and the current chairman of the executive committee of the PCB, has, over the years, received extremely negative remarks from Imran Khan. The latter accused the former of helping Nawaz Sharif win the 2013 general elections through rigging which, Imran, classified as ’35 punctures’. Later, when the Supreme Court of Pakistan probed into the matter, it okayed the conduct of the election and, by default, Sethi stayed clear legally and morally. Funny as it was, Imran Khan termed “35 puncture” as a ‘political statement’.
Moreover, Sethi sued Khan in a couple of defamation cases. But Khan did not record his statement before the court of law.
Another interesting case of Khan’s politics of the cricket is that whenever Pakistan loses a match, without wasting time, he puts the entire blame on Sethi and Nawaz Sharif for having corrupted cricket and the country. And, whenever Pakistan wins a match, as it did against South Africa and Sri Lanka, Imran thanks the Almighty and, to lesser extent, some players who might have outperformed the opponents.
The people and the opposition are certainly entitled to demanding their due rights and, in the process of obtainment, criticise the government if the latter is seen to be lethargic in governance. Peaceful protests thus are the beauty of democracy. However, it is sheer hypocrisy and height of immorality if one criticises and accuses another sans verifiable facts and the basics of ethics. Undoubtedly, Pakistan is engulfed in myriad problems. Our cricket team performs inconsistently, and that too, chronically. There is a dire need to reform the cricket infrastructure from the unit to the meta level. Some of oldies in the team now require retirement. Some senior members in the team management ought to prefer family than field.
In short, there is a hell of lot that needs urgent attention. To this end, however, what Pakistan needs is candid and ethical participation of politicians and the public in terms of highlighting areas for improvement. In fact, the media can play an effective role in this respect if it is used positivity and ethically. Moreover, the politics of cricket ought to get replaced with the politeness of cricket after all cricket is, in principle, about sportsmanship. If Sarfraz can win a crucial match through partnership with Amir, Najam Sethi possesses the ability to lead the board in partnership with the team and the management. Our politicians should spare cricket and instead focus on putting their house in order.
Postscript: The author loves and plays cricket in leisure since childhood.