Since the World Cup, things have been increasingly interesting and yet, more and more discouraging by the day. While the name of Shoaib Malik is being put forward with greater confidence by those in the know, the players' attitude over the past few days has been as discouraging as the goings on at the PCB.
Except for PJ Mir's welcome disappearance and a non-selecting selection committee's resignations, the powers that be at the PCB still remain. Musharraf as patron, Nasim Ashraf as President PCB (btw he's a nephrologist, not a urologist. Minor difference for most, but for those of us in the medical profession a big one ;) ) and Saleem Altaf in some strange capacity or the other. Somehow I just doubt tihs group's ability to make the profound and far-reaching changes needed ot be made to Pakistani cricket.
What has been disappointing from the players standpoint is the increasing number of people who kept putting their names forward. The workings of Pakistani cricket made it quiet apparent from the start, that the choice for captain was going to be Younis Khan or one of the younger players in Shoaib Malik or Salman Butt. Yet, after Younis said no, almost everyone and their mom decided to put their name forward for the captaincy. Abdul Razzaq. Shahid Afridi. And in the last few days, even Mohammad Yousuf. And over the last few days, except for Yousuf, none of the players have come forward in support of Shoaib's appointment as captain. Not even players like Abdul Razzaq, Yasir Arafat or Kamran Akmal with whom Shoaib played in the 1998-99 in the U-19 circuit. Let us just hope that the politics which have played eternally in Pakistani cricket don't sink another young man's very promising career.
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