“How can cricket be stable in Pakistan, when nothing else is?” The glory days of Pakistan cricket seem like a very distant memory. How can it happen to something like cricket, which was almost like a religion? In the past few years, Pakistan cricket has seen its share of crises, betting scandals, discord among the players, inconsistent performances, high player turnover, frequent captaincy changes, and the list goes on. The roots of this mess can be traced back to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Any organization is only as good as its leader and this is aptly true for PCB, whose leader Mr. Ijaz Butt has become the embodiment of all that is wrong with cricket in Pakistan. People at all levels of cricket are crying out for reforms and are extremely critical of the current chairman. The secretary of the Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA) recently expressed his feelings, “Our cricket has suffered because of one man’s dictatorship. Once the dictatorship starts objectivity ends.”
The continued degradation of cricket in Pakistan prompted the ICC to spring into action and takes some measures to improve the situation. The ICC appointed a task team (PTT) investigate the issues with Pakistan cricket and make recommendations. The task team made 63 recommendations but the PCB rejected most of those recommendations. One of the most important recommendations, perhaps, was regarding political involvement in the affairs of the board at the highest levels.
In a manner similar to the appointments in the rest of the positions of responsibility in Pakistan government, the head of the PCB is not chosen based on skills and competence. It is rather a matter of personal preferences where the president of Pakistan, who is also the patron-in-chief of the PCB, has the authority to appoint the head of PCB. Recognizing this menace, PTT made the following recommendation: “It is highly unusual that the President of the country is entitled to appoint both the Chairman of the PCB and over half of the Governing Board. It is also inconsistent with the demands of modern sports administration that the Chairman also holds the powers of the CEO.”
Naturally, the PCB did not like this recommendation and responded, “The circumstances in Pakistan are unique and cricket administration requires and deserves government support without which international cricket may not be able to return to Pakistan.
“Keeping in view the extraordinary security situation in the country, having the president as patron of the PCB adds tremendous value and comfort. This system is in place since the PCB became full-member of the ICC. It should be appreciated that a system which has propelled Pakistan to the top of the cricket world has been in place for approximately 60 years and cannot certainly be labeled as ‘faulty.”
Although the collapse of Pakistan cricket began several years ago, it culminated under the current cricket board. The political appointments to run the affairs of PCB, during the last decade, are at the heart of this ruin. The only way to save cricket in Pakistan is by freeing PCB from the despotic rule of its politically appointed head. A person who has sound knowledge of cricket based on experience as a player and who is also a good administrator can still turn things around. Imran Khan has suggested that a panel of senior cricketers should be appointed to interview the candidates for the post of PCB head. According to him, “One should know the vision of the candidate beforehand, how would he take forward Pakistan cricket.” There are other suggestions as well; a cricket analyst Zakir Syed recommends that strict deadlines should be handed down to the appointed chief of PCB after Ijazz Butt, to straighten out the affairs of PCB such as immediately developing a constitution. There is no shortage of talent in Pakistan; it is just a matter of harnessing this talent and guiding it in the right direction.
It should be a wake-up call for all concerned when players like Shahid Afridi ask, “How can cricket be stable in Pakistan, when nothing else is?”