PCB Constitution Approved!

Woohoo!! The PCB finally has an approved constitution! While I don't know enough about it to offer comment, but a constitution can only be a good thing. What will be more interesting to see in the upcoming months as it goes through the approval process, is if it will be declared null and void due to some emergency like the 1971 Pakistani constitution, on which Zulfiqar Bhutto went medieval within moments of its ratification.

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Pakistan A Camp Update

As I reported here, through the auspices of Dawn yesterday, no one seems to be interested in representing the Pakistan A squad against Australia in the upcoming series. Day 3 is here, and only 12 players are there. Is all the PCB disciplinary action reserved for Shoaib Akhtar?

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No one shows up to Pakistan A camp?

What the heck is going on here? At a training camp for the Pakistan A squad, who are to be trained for selection for the series against Australia 'A', only 12 out of 27 players actually showed up! I'll try to see if I can find out who showed up, and who decided to play hooky.

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Canadian Cricket Commentator raises a point for Yousuf

I must say, I found this surprising when I read htis. It took a Canadian writer, in a Toronto paper, to come up with this. Now, I don't know if its representative of the thought process at the PCB or not, but it is an interesting proposition He proposes that perhaps all is not lost in the world of Pakistani cricket, with Yousuf signing on with the ICL. His technicality point is that Yousuf and Inzamam have made things easy for the PCB, by signing with the ICL, without signing central contracts with the PCB.

Quote: "While the world media has repeatedly presented the PCB position as one where any Pakistani player who signs with the ICL faces a life ban, the actual PCB position is that a life ban will be only be handed out to contracted players who play in the ICL. Yousuf never did sign a PCB contract and technically is eligible for selection.

In fact, when awarding central contracts the PCB has always reiterated that non-contracted players can still be called up for national duty. It is a fortuitous technicality, provided sanity prevails in the often insane world of Pakistani cricket. "

Very intriguing proposition. Will the PCB be smart enough to pick out a technicality of its own making?

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PCB Backtracks on Yousuf?

Well, Osman Samiuddin predicted this earlier on Cricinfo, and it appears to be happening. The PCB is trying to find ways to get Yousuf back on track with the squad. Money, conversations with Geoff Lawson are only the beginning of the discussion. What might very well be needed is a conversation with Shoaib Malik, where he categorically and unequivocally states to Yousuf and to the media at large, that at no point did he ask for Yousuf to be dropped from the Twenty20 World Cup squad.

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Shoaib Malik didn't want Yousuf?

This is the last thing Pakistani cricket needs. If this story in Dawn is indeed true, then there is truly something rotten in the state of the PCB, and Pakistani cricket at large. If a new captain with limited overall experience was allowed to dictate to the national squad to the degree that arguably the greatest batsman in current cricket could be left out of the squad, then that is indeed a problem. One can discuss and raise the issue of whether it was ok or not to leave Yousuf out, when Tendulkar, Dravid, Kallis and Ganguly have all been excluded, but no one can argue that a new captain has the right to unilaterally leave out one of the team's superstars, that too on a whim.

Further, Osman Samiuddin writes a thoughtful and insightful summary on the ICL and Pakistan issue. The Cicero-esque critic in chief of Pakistani cricket?

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Opinions on the Pakistani ICL exodus

More news on the Yousuf, Inzamam and Razzaq bombshell today. Rameez Raja, Intikhab Alam and Javed Miandad offer their perspective on issue, and perhaps not surprisingly, they all seem to hold the yoyos at the PCB responsible for this debacle.

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What the heck is going on?!

On the day Geoff Lawson was supposed to arrive in Pakistan to take over the reins of the team, it seems that the entire enterprise of international Pakistani cricket is threatening to fall apart.

For the last few days, there has been a reasonable amount of drama, with Shoaib Akhtar and his fines, and then the supposed threat by Shoaib Malik and a few other players to not participate in the Twenty20 cup. While these have been fairly concerning, not much has made it into the media since the first rumours came out. Yet, todays news turns all of those shenanigans into minor brew hahas.

First came the news that Razzaq had announced his retirement from international cricket, due to his unhappiness over being dropped for the Twenty20 cup, followed very shortly by his signing a County Cricket contract. Then came the ICL announcement of the players signed to date, and within that list were Razzaq and Farhat, which we knew about before. Yet, the list also included Inzamam and Mohammad Yousuf.

While reactions from various cricketing forums is still awaited, these developments were probably not what Geoff Lawson had in mind for his first day. Yousuf has been the lynch pin of the Pakistani batting lineup, and one must wonder if there is something more deep seated here, than just not being selected for the Twenty20 cup. Rumours have been rampant that the PCB has been trying to rid the team of any links with Inzamam and the overt religiosity on display during his tenure as captain. Yousuf was a large part of that, and Razzaq was also fairly close to Inzamam. Has there been more going on behind the scenes? Only time will tell.

The Razzaq decision to retire, to be honest, smacks a lot of Shahid Afridi's surprise announcement a while ago. Ticked off, and perhaps feeling disrespected, Razzaq has taken the sour grapes approach, and said I didn't want to play anymore anyhow. It will probably get reversed sooner or later by Razzaq. Yet, what will the PCB do with Inzy, Yousuf and Razzaq after they have already said they will ban on all players signing with the ICL? What does it say about theses players' commitment to the Pakistani cricket team, if they were willing to risk their place in the team for the ICL?

The next few days should be interesting, in how the PCB chooses to respond to the newest fiasco in Pakistani cricket. One really gets the feeling that Nasim Ashraf and the PCB will have to do more than fiasco creation to try to fix this situation.

The Soap Opera that is Pakistan Cricket

It never ceases to amaze me that Pakistani cricket is truly an amazing soap opera. One had thought that with the appointment of Shoaib Malik, and the selection of Geoff Lawson as the coach of the squad, things for at least some time would have atleast a veneer of stability. Yet, all it took was a training camp, a new league, and it seems everything has fallen apart.

First, whether or not its true, Cricinfo and a few Indian papers have been talking over the last few days about a possible rebellion in the squad, lead by no other than Shoaib Malik. It appears that there was some altercation between Shoaib Malik and the management of the team over whether Shoaib Akhtar talked to someone before he left the camp early, leading to his suspension. While Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik have both denied any altercation, the rumours refuse to die down. The reports even point to a potential boycott of the upcoming Twenty20 cup by atleast 6 to 7 players.

While all this drama continues, the ICL has been active through Rashid Latif in trying to recruit Pakistani players. Imran Farhat has signed, Asim Kamal is close to signing, and rumours refuse to die that Inzamam, Yousuf and Razzaq are days away from signing. Asif was also offered an amount reaching USD 600,000 per year to play for two months / year for the ICL. The PCB and Nasim Ashraf in all their wisdom, are choosing to take an ostrich approach to the whole thing, and are threatening to suspend anyone who "dares" to sign with the ICL. Well, I have news for them. Pretty soon, it won't just be Imran Farhat calling their bluff. Imran Farhat they can do without, but Yousuf? Asif? I don't think so.

A few people raise the issue that if the players are patriotic enough, they will not choose the ICL, but play for the PCB regardless of the financial cost. Well, that may be all fine and dandy, but you cannot expect players to simply walk away from the types of figures the ICL is throwing around. If the PCB wants their players to remain under contract to the PCB, and not sign on with the ICL, they are going to have to pony up some serious sums of money to match ICL dollars. Further, what is going on at the PCB? Along with the ICL issue, the issue with the team's potential boycott, even if false, opens up a can of worms which after the World Cup debacle is the last thing the PCB needs.

While there appears to be a serious lack of foresight and leadership in the PCB, what I am starting to wonder about, as is Intikhab Alam, is where is Geoff Lawson? Its been over three weeks since his appointment, and I really haven't heard much from him to date. When is he coming to Pakistan? Who will be on his staff? Will it be an all foreign group, or will there atleast be some Pakistani representation? Serious questions remain.

Huh? Yousuf, Razzaq and Farhat to the ICL?

In an uncredited story in The News, a Pakistani paper, its being reported that Mohammad Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq and Imran Farhat have signed contracts with the ICL! If this is indeed true, it will be interesting to see the PCB's response. All the South Asian cricketing boards have vehemently come out in opposition to the ICL, and have said that they would suspend/ban any player who signs with the ICL. If this is true, what will the PCB do?

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Asif & Afridi: Facing off to ICC largesse

Sooner or later we knew that the ICL would start throwing around real money, but this kind of money is gang-busters! If this story is to be believed, Asif and Afridi have turned down offers of Rs. 100 million for three years, which works out to a little more than 500,000 USD per year. The ICL must really be planning on making a whole pile load of dough!

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Younis Khan: No to ICL

Well, atleast Younis Khan has chosen a side.

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ICL pull strongest in Pakistan?

Pakistani cricket continues to be the most enthralling and entertaining. Well, maybe not the cricket, but atleast all the shenanigans of the players and the establishment is enough to keep one tuned in to the world of Pakistani cricket. I think an Entertainment Tonight type show might do very well, specially if it is about Pakistani cricket. Hey, thats an idea. OH, want to do a show like that? Maybe we could quit the day jobs while we're at it!

Anyhow, here is this report in Dawn, which rarely has far-out rumours. According to Mohammad Yaqoob, it appears that Razzaq, Yousuf, Inzamam, Asim Kamal and Imran Farhat are all considering signing up with the ICL. While the paper refers to an anonymous, former Karachi-based international wicketkeeper batsman leading the negotiations, in light of this report, it appears that its probably Rashid Latif.

While it makes sense why someone like Inzamam might consider making the jump with his international career potentially coming to a close, the others might be a little more difficult to sort out. Farhat and Kamal have been on the fringes of the international squad, enjoying short runs here and there, but never really being able to settle themselves into the squad. This might be their opportunity to make some good money, specially when even players like Stephen Fleming are being offered money like 500,000 USD. The story about Razzaq and Yousuf makes a little less sense, but it may very well be hardball on their side to try to push the PCB to bring them back into the squad. Or, it could just be about the money. As one of my mentors used to say, Its never about money, Its ALWAYS about money.

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Nice article on Mohammad Asif

Well written Osman Samiuddin.

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Razzaq miffed with the PCB

I'm not sure how to respond to this. In a media interview, Abdul Razzaq was quiet upset, with the news that he had not been selected for the Twenty20 Cup in South Africa.

While I can understand why Razzaq is upset, and I think we are all entitled to an opinion on how that plays out for Pakistan, I'm not sure if I like a player being so vocal and openly critical of the setup and the selectors. Razzaq is a player in the setup, and has a right to his own opinion, but in a field as competitive as cricket, for a player to see it as a birthright to be selected to the squad is inappropriate. Selection to the squad is a privilege, and a player has a right to be told why they are being dropped and what the rationale is, but to be openly critical of the hand that feeds, is detrimental to the discipline in the squad and the cricketing setup.

I think Razzaq needs to be fined for this.

Shoaib Akhtar: Will Never Change

Well, it was bound to happen. Despite pretending to be a model citizen for the last little while, and not only offering support for Shoaib Malik and the new PCB setup, Shoaib Akhtar decided to show some of his rebellious stance, and decided to skip out a little early from the training camp. Well, it appears that the new PCB setup didn't like that, and decided to fine Shoaib USD $5000 (around 3 lac Rs.). Shoaib does claim however that he had a stiff neck, which he had complained about before. Lets see if he chooses to appeal this or not. Whether warranted or not, I think it is a good thing that the PCB is trying to impose some discipline.

Update: It appears that Shoaib Akhtar is none too pleased by his fines, and created quiet the scene at the headquarters. He is definitely upset by the fact that he was fined without being given a hearing.

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Yousuf and Razzaq Dropped

Well, what was suspected has indeed come to pass. The PCB announced the selected squad for the upcoming Twenty20 Cup in South Africa, and as reported in various papers both Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq were indeed dropped. If dropping Abdul Razzaq means that Fawad Alam is to be given a try, along with Yasir Arafat then that is not necessarily a bad thing. It may also provide Abdul Razzaq the impetus to approach his cricket with more hunger and desire than he has shown in the past few years.

What is surprising, and what I earlier called lunacy, is the dropping of Yousuf. Kamran Abbasi on Cricinfo says: "His batting powers more than compensate for any fielding shortcomings. I'm baffled, he's shocked, and the selectors already sound confused." Osman Samiuddin likened the whole fiasco to logic having gone for a six. He makes a very valid claim that even the PCB has no clue why they have done what they did. Their claim that they did it to try out new blood falls apart, when they selected a 33 year old, someone who is 2 years older than Yousuf, as his replacement. Their claim falls apart when Yousuf is truly the greatest batsman in Pakistan today.

Omar Haq, on the other hand, makes a valid point that Misbah-ul-Haq has been scoring in Twenty20 at over 50, and given his experience in multiple Twenty20 games in the domestic circuit, it is the perfect venue to let him try to resurrect his international career. As happy as I am to have OH back in the blogging world, I must say I do disagree with him here. I definitely agree with KA that any shortcomings on Yousuf's part can be addressed by his batting prowess. This is yet another shenanigan by Nasim Ashraf and his cronies. I truly had higher hopes from this selection committee.

Kaneria and his strange ideas

This is clearly a sign of delusional thinking.

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Nasim Ashraf and the ICL

I'm having a hard time figuring this one out. While in the past, I have praised Nasim Ashraf for not letting Pakistani players play willy nilly in County Cricket, when their fitness was at issue, I don't fathom this sense of anxiety and reluctance to letting our players play in the newly minted Indian Cricket League.

It has been a long term feature of Pakistani cricket that our players have played abroad for improving their cricketing skills, but also for the lucrative payouts commonly seen in other domestic forms of cricket, compared to our own. Pakistani players have participated in county cricket in droves, along with various league games all across the world. Further, there was a substantial Pakistani presence in Kerry Packer's league, and no one would say that Pakistani cricket has been ill served by our players participating in county cricket or in Kerry Packer's league in Australia.

It is this positive effect on Pakistani cricket, which makes this comment by Nasim Ashraf hard to understand. I can see that the PCB wants some control over where their players play, specially if they are under contract, but if Pakistan is not involved in international cricket, why not let the players play in a 20/20 league? If Younis Khan can beg out of international cricketing responsibilities or avoid camps being held by the team, then why can't other players play in the ICL, along with their place in the Pakistani cricketing setup? I mean I would quiet seriously contend that Younis Khan missing the recent camps will have a worse effect on the Pakistani team than any players playing in the ICL. Isn't team spirit, and team development more important than the PCB's sense of ownership over its players?

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Dropping Yousuf and Razzaq?

When a new set of selectors were assigned, I thought that there would perhaps be some semblance of sanity to the selection process. First they decide to hold a series of matches in the middle of July in Karachi, Lahore and Abbotabad. Anyone with half a brain can tell you that playing cricket in 40 C + weather is not exactly a bright idea. Yet, that is what the selectors had the squad do.

And now, comes news that Razzaq and Yousuf may be dropped from the upcoming Twenty20 World Cup squad. Now, while I may be equivocal about dropping Razzaq, dropping Yousuf is tantamount to lunacy. Yousuf is to the Pakistani squad what Chanderpaul is to the West Indies or what Ponting (the batsman, not the captain) is to Australia. He is the lynch pin of our batting lineup, and currently the most senior and most experienced batsman in our squad. I hope that all this talk of potentially dropping Yousuf is just a lot of hot air.

Inzamam deserves better than this

Osman Samiuddin is really turning into quiet the writer. What a line here:

"Nothing is clear save this: the Pakistani cricketer who retires with grace, dignity and at an opportune time has not yet set foot on this earth. He has lingered, he has not been allowed to linger; he is pushed, nudged, intrigued out. Often he is just forgotten."

It appears that the PCB is trying everything they can to push, nudge or even forget Inzamam, but he is determined not to go gently into that good night. Not only given Pakistan's own cricketing history, but also with Nasim Ashraf's many shenanigans, I don't see why everyone is surprised. Ashraf is dishonourable enough that he will never come right out and say that Inzamam is not welcome, and he doesn't have brains enough to know that he can't do without him. The decision to not even give Inzamam a retainer is as preposterous as anything else Ashraf has done, and it is a tragedy of our cricketing establishment that no one is willing to call Ashraf on this.

Samiuddin's point is very well made that even if Inzamam is pushed out at this stage, it is not like he is some lame duck who's skill with the bat will not be missed. Averaging over 60 over the last two years, that is an average that Tendulkar or Lara would die for. Further, has Inzamam not done enough to resuscitate the pride of Pakistani cricket after the many debacles of previous years to atleast deserve the opportunity to play again?

The blog is back

I hope all of you folks haven't given up hope or given up on my blog, but it is now time to make a comeback. Or like LL Cool J used to say, "Don't call it a comeback, I been doin' this for yeears!"