After signing an agreement with the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding the World Cup 2011, we must reconcile with the fact that no foreign team will visit Pakistan for some time to come. Pakistan thus has no option but to play its cricket on the foreign soil spreading from Australia and New Zealand on one end of the world to the West Indies on the other. While millions of cricket lovers who will miss the game being played on our own pitches, our team will also be deprived of the helpful factors falling under the domain of ‘home advantage’. This is more like a catastrophe fallen on the game loved by every Pakistani, especially the youngsters who are seen playing cricket in every nook and corner of the country.
Despite at the 6th position of the International Cricket Council (ICC) ranking, Pakistan enjoy a respectable position in international cricket for having won both Cricket World Cup and the Twenty20 World Cup. Keeping in view the above situation, Pakistan must strive hard to maintain their international status along with the efforts to raise their world ranking.
The goal must be to defeat the hosts on their soil whichever country our team visit. To achieve this objective there is a dire need of elevating our team to a sky high level of strength and competence. The first target should be the ICC Champions Trophy for which the team have already been announced and are going through a tough practice camp. Offering no comments on the selection, I am sure it is a nice blend of youth and experience with the boys fully accomplished in their respective traits.
There is no doubt about the potential of our team but some how they are afflicted with a serious disease called ‘inconsistency’. This is an outcome of the ‘attitude problem’ from which our boys suffer. Being casual and careless they lose the element of dedication making one mistake after the other which becomes the cause of our failures. In other words, they behave more like novices than the true professionals. The practice camp is in full swing under the vigilant eye of a team of coaches looking after the three important departments of the game, batting, bowling and fielding. We may have a high stake in the Champions Trophy but the real objective should be to eradicate the weaknesses and defects of the players. The psychological aspect which prompts them to play loose shots offering dolly catches, getting run out for bad or no calling, being erratic and wayward in bowling and careless in fielding must be looked after jointly by the psychiatrist and the panel of coaches. The elimination of these faults will turn the boys into perfect cricketers for all times.
No stone should be left unturned in preparations to win the Champions Trophy, a title that is missing from our ‘grand slam of victories’. Many observers of the game including the chief coach Intikhab Alam consider India and Australia to be the big threats for being the better one-day teams. I will rather put South Africa, Sri Lanka and others also in the same class. We must thus evaluate the strength and weakness of each participating team and prepare accordingly.
Coming to the administrative issues confronting the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the removal of chief operating officer Salim Altaf has taken the shape of a controversy. Whether for inefficiency or incompatibility he was also removed once before but reinstated by the court. He has decided to adopt the same course again. I consider all the problems faced by the PCB to be of the board’s own making. In our times the officials were appointed on a clearly defined three years term. They quietly left on the expiry of the term. The change of rules has been instrumental in the creation of all the conflicts and controversies. The chief operating officer is in fact a very important assignment. He being similar to the good old chief executive officer is supposed to be the number two man of the board after the chairman. Till only a decade back when the chairman used to be only the nominal head, this officer used to run all affairs of cricket.
The appointment of the new chief operating officer was required to be made with absolute professional considerations. He could be a cricketer or an administrator with thorough knowledge of the game’s administration and possessing a good reputation in the field of cricket. The name of Mr. Badar Rafie who is said to have played a few first class matches and is presently acting as secretary of the USA Cricket Board was circulating in the press for this appointment. Such a low key person whose name was not even known in the cricket circles of Pakistan was not worth consideration. For such a prestigious job, I wonder on what grounds Javed Miandad and Dr Muhammad Ali Shah proposed his name. The appointment of Wasim Bari on the job is, however, welcomed because besides being a top player of his times, he has been associated with cricket administration for a long time.
The appointment of a new general manager media is also being filled. Among the aspirants I consider Raja Asad Ali Khan to be the most suitable person. He possesses over two decades of experience in both print and voice media. Being a cricket commentator, he is competent, energetic as well as highly popular in the sports circles. With his vast influence in the media, sports circles and among the cricket enthusiasts, he will be the best person to project Pakistan cricket and handle other related issues.
By Col (r) Rafi Nasim, The author is a former PCB chief executive officer
Source: Daily Times
Despite at the 6th position of the International Cricket Council (ICC) ranking, Pakistan enjoy a respectable position in international cricket for having won both Cricket World Cup and the Twenty20 World Cup. Keeping in view the above situation, Pakistan must strive hard to maintain their international status along with the efforts to raise their world ranking.
The goal must be to defeat the hosts on their soil whichever country our team visit. To achieve this objective there is a dire need of elevating our team to a sky high level of strength and competence. The first target should be the ICC Champions Trophy for which the team have already been announced and are going through a tough practice camp. Offering no comments on the selection, I am sure it is a nice blend of youth and experience with the boys fully accomplished in their respective traits.
There is no doubt about the potential of our team but some how they are afflicted with a serious disease called ‘inconsistency’. This is an outcome of the ‘attitude problem’ from which our boys suffer. Being casual and careless they lose the element of dedication making one mistake after the other which becomes the cause of our failures. In other words, they behave more like novices than the true professionals. The practice camp is in full swing under the vigilant eye of a team of coaches looking after the three important departments of the game, batting, bowling and fielding. We may have a high stake in the Champions Trophy but the real objective should be to eradicate the weaknesses and defects of the players. The psychological aspect which prompts them to play loose shots offering dolly catches, getting run out for bad or no calling, being erratic and wayward in bowling and careless in fielding must be looked after jointly by the psychiatrist and the panel of coaches. The elimination of these faults will turn the boys into perfect cricketers for all times.
No stone should be left unturned in preparations to win the Champions Trophy, a title that is missing from our ‘grand slam of victories’. Many observers of the game including the chief coach Intikhab Alam consider India and Australia to be the big threats for being the better one-day teams. I will rather put South Africa, Sri Lanka and others also in the same class. We must thus evaluate the strength and weakness of each participating team and prepare accordingly.
Coming to the administrative issues confronting the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the removal of chief operating officer Salim Altaf has taken the shape of a controversy. Whether for inefficiency or incompatibility he was also removed once before but reinstated by the court. He has decided to adopt the same course again. I consider all the problems faced by the PCB to be of the board’s own making. In our times the officials were appointed on a clearly defined three years term. They quietly left on the expiry of the term. The change of rules has been instrumental in the creation of all the conflicts and controversies. The chief operating officer is in fact a very important assignment. He being similar to the good old chief executive officer is supposed to be the number two man of the board after the chairman. Till only a decade back when the chairman used to be only the nominal head, this officer used to run all affairs of cricket.
The appointment of the new chief operating officer was required to be made with absolute professional considerations. He could be a cricketer or an administrator with thorough knowledge of the game’s administration and possessing a good reputation in the field of cricket. The name of Mr. Badar Rafie who is said to have played a few first class matches and is presently acting as secretary of the USA Cricket Board was circulating in the press for this appointment. Such a low key person whose name was not even known in the cricket circles of Pakistan was not worth consideration. For such a prestigious job, I wonder on what grounds Javed Miandad and Dr Muhammad Ali Shah proposed his name. The appointment of Wasim Bari on the job is, however, welcomed because besides being a top player of his times, he has been associated with cricket administration for a long time.
The appointment of a new general manager media is also being filled. Among the aspirants I consider Raja Asad Ali Khan to be the most suitable person. He possesses over two decades of experience in both print and voice media. Being a cricket commentator, he is competent, energetic as well as highly popular in the sports circles. With his vast influence in the media, sports circles and among the cricket enthusiasts, he will be the best person to project Pakistan cricket and handle other related issues.
By Col (r) Rafi Nasim, The author is a former PCB chief executive officer
Source: Daily Times
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