While OH's blog had a really funny mock interview with Inzy, that was comedy. The PCB's decision to begin examining each player through a lens of how religious they have become is not funny.
No one could truly argue that the increasing religiosity of the Pakistani team has not become a part of their character and influences how they approach the game and their life outside of the sport. Yet, to blame the bulk of the drama over the last few months on religion, is like blaming cows for global warming. The problem is not how religious the team is, or how focused their extracurricular activities are on religion. The problem is that despite 4 years in the Woolmer/Inzy era, the team was not able to inculcate a sense of professionalism and a work ethic which would allow them to succeed in the world of international cricket. The problem is that the administrators, one and all, have been a bunch of nincompoops, present company included. If you don't want to change the culture of Pakistani cricket by changing the current ad-hoc status, a moribund domestic system and a complete absence of professionalism in the players and administrators, then there is an easy fix which many like to use: blame Islam. I don't know how many times I've said this, and how many times I'll still say this: What a crock.
Don't get me wrong, I have no desire to see a team where players are excluded due to not being religious enough or not having beards long enough or because they missed fajr one cold morning. But precisely what I mean by a culture of professionalism and integrity, is what would keep that from happening. Whether or not a number of players go to Raiwind or Rabwa or Rome is completely irrelevant to the question.
No one could truly argue that the increasing religiosity of the Pakistani team has not become a part of their character and influences how they approach the game and their life outside of the sport. Yet, to blame the bulk of the drama over the last few months on religion, is like blaming cows for global warming. The problem is not how religious the team is, or how focused their extracurricular activities are on religion. The problem is that despite 4 years in the Woolmer/Inzy era, the team was not able to inculcate a sense of professionalism and a work ethic which would allow them to succeed in the world of international cricket. The problem is that the administrators, one and all, have been a bunch of nincompoops, present company included. If you don't want to change the culture of Pakistani cricket by changing the current ad-hoc status, a moribund domestic system and a complete absence of professionalism in the players and administrators, then there is an easy fix which many like to use: blame Islam. I don't know how many times I've said this, and how many times I'll still say this: What a crock.
Don't get me wrong, I have no desire to see a team where players are excluded due to not being religious enough or not having beards long enough or because they missed fajr one cold morning. But precisely what I mean by a culture of professionalism and integrity, is what would keep that from happening. Whether or not a number of players go to Raiwind or Rabwa or Rome is completely irrelevant to the question.
2 comments:
Monday, April 02, 2007
Cricket crusades
THE STILL BORN WORLD CUP
HOW DID ICC GET IT ALL WRONG AS THE SUMS DON’T ADD UP
Iqbal Latif- Paris
http://cybermusings.blogspot.com/2007/04/cricket-crusades.html
Completely with you Ahmer, but just to clarify on one thing - the allegation on Inzi that he didn't "prefer" players because they weren't religious enough, is a particularly flawed one. We do need that culture of professionalism and integrity you speak of, but I don't believe Inzi has been guilty of what people have accused him of in this respect in the past. If that was the case poor old Asim Kamal wouldn't have been sacked after one poor series in a career otherwise filled with promising performances, he had a beard, remember? Shoaib Malik was persisted with on the contrary for much longer in the test side, even though he has no beard. I sincerely think the players religious activities are limited to congregational prayers and some collective reflection on life and beyond, and to accuse that he has a bias in favor for those supposedly more pious is very unfair on him.
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