Is PCB doing enough to bring back foreign teams to Pakistan? Maybe
not
By Muhammad Asif Khan
It is said that even a
long journey begins with a single step and later on every single step
matters. More sensitive the job at hand the more careful is the approach
required as a single wrong move is enough to make one go off the track.
These things come to
mind when we look at the efforts of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for
the revival of international cricket in Pakistan.
The PCB is looking to
have international teams visit Pakistan, but to achieve this target it
needs to undertake a long voyage with tremendous care.
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| Arabian Sea Country Club
Cricket ground | | | |
Primarily the PCB
should concentrate on tiny steps to adequately build the case to regain
the lost trust. To be honest, this aspect has been neglected thus far.
What could be those
tiny steps? Of course the way the PCB is planning to organise an
indigenous brand of Twenty20 league, which also includes a few foreign
players, is a step in the right direction but haven’t such efforts
been made in the recent past by others?
Last year, renowned
cricket administrator Dr Muhammad Ali Shah successfully organised a
couple of exhibition matches in Karachi. A lot of former international
players participated in the event which was cheered by the spectators
who turned up in huge numbers.
The effort — the
tiny step — was widely appreciated but the gesture shown by the PCB
was not enough. They did provide Dr Shah with stadium and other
facilities, although they should have done something to take the process
forward from there.
That was not the first
time a genuine effort was not duly recognised. In the early part of
2012, Arif Ali Khan Abbasi, the former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of
the Board of Control for Cricket in Pakistan (BCCP) — now PCB — also
managed to persuaded some international players — including a few from
India — to visit Pakistan and feature in a T20 cricket tournament at
his Arabian Sea Country Club in Karachi.
I met with Abbasi a
few weeks back and he was dejected the way his plan to contribute to the
cause was ‘sabotaged’.
He was of the view
that as per the regulations he formally sought PCB’s prior permission
for the event but, according to him, the PCB did not pay heed and did
not respond for the next two months.
Later on a set of
prerequisites was sent to him which, he said, were fulfilled as well but
to no avail because “no stadium in Pakistan has the facilities which
PCB demanded. Yet I somehow
fulfilled their requirements but it was too late then.
“Late reply from the
PCB with tough conditions caused further delay and in the meantime
sponsors backed off while the local players also got engaged in a
domestic event.”
The PCB negates the
claim made by Abbasi. It said all was done in view of the ICC
regulations and the proposed event was in fact shelved by Abbasi
himself.
With these recent
episodes — Dr Shah and Arif Abbasi — it seems that the PCB wanted to
do it all on its own and was not willing to share the pride of achieving
the goal, of bringing back international cricket to the country.
I might be wrong in my
assessment, but this is a perception held by many cricket lovers.
It would be unfair not
to commend the efforts of the PCB though. They had almost succeeded in
hosting Bangladesh — the first International team since March 2009 —
but still this would not have been enough to convince the other
countries. The goal of the revival of international cricket would have
remained unachieved even if they had come.
The PCB’s own
international T20 league — scheduled in March this year — will be a
step in the right direction.
After the smooth
happening of the Pakistan Super League the board would be in a position
to build a strong case to persuade teams to visit Pakistan.
However, had the
efforts made by others been duly acknowledged and patronised probably
half the journey in this regard would have already been covered by now.
If the PCB can consult
with former ICC Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat and is ready to pay him a
hefty sum then why not seek help from those who are willing to assist
and are not demanding anything in return? When our own people, with
sound reputation abroad, tried to assist the PCB, they were given a cold
shoulder.
The return of
international cricket to Pakistan is indeed a dream which would
hopefully come true sooner rather than later. But the board will have to
take small steps instead of trying to jump to the destination.
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