Six years after the dreadful fixing-ridden tour of England, Pakistan cricket is embroiled in another spot-fixing scandal. Five national players now stand suspended from all forms of cricket and will face a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appointed tribunal. Unlike what happened in 2010, this time the PCB is acting swiftly and the investigation is moving forward. While these efforts need to be recognised and appreciated, the exact scope of this investigation remains to be seen. Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif were both suspended a day into the second season of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). While this affected Islamabad United’s balance in the PSL, it has also jolted Pakistan’s limited-overs set up. Khan’s loss is the most frustrating because Pakistan has now lost a hard-hitting opening batsman. Having resurrected his international career after a successful maiden stint with Islamabad United, Khan’s performance continued to improve over the last year. He emerged as the team’s second-highest scorer with 250 runs in five ODI innings in his last assignment for the national team against Australia. The 27-year-old opener now faces charges of not only attempting to corrupt a game but also for not disclosing suspect approaches. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Sharjeel Khan tucks one to fine leg, Australia v Pakistan, 4th ODI, Sydney, January 22, 2017
Photo: Cricket Australia[/caption] [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Khalid Latif pulls one away, Pakistan v West Indies, 2nd T20I, Dubai, September 24, 2016
Photo: Getty Images[/caption] Discarded national team opener Nasir Jamshed, who was in England at the time of the scandal, was also suspended from playing cricket. Mohammad Irfan, another Islamabad United player, joined Jamshed and Pakistan’s first choice opening pair in T20 internationals on the list of suspended players. PCB formally charged the fast bowler from Gaggu Mandi on March 14, 2017 for failing to report approaches. Two days later, Shahzaib Hasan, member of the 2009 World T20 winning national team and of the Karachi Kings squad, was suspended with charges of not only failing to report corrupt approaches but also aiding corruption in PSL. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Mohammad Irfan bellows in celebration after picking up his second wicket, England v Pakistan, 4th ODI, Headingley, September 1, 2016
Photo: AFP[/caption] The three-man tribunal appointed by the board has started its work and PCB will now provide evidence to the tribunal in a bid to prove that the suspended players are indeed guilty. Whether certain people like it or not, this swiftness in dealing with corruption is unprecedented. PCB’s inexplicable inaction and inertia during the 2010 scandal ended up hurting Pakistan. Back then, the board stayed mum and provided little details to the public. This time around, however, there have been multiple press releases detailing the exact steps in the entire process. All relevant violations can be tallied using the PCB anti-corruption code which is also available on the board’s website. The problems for these players don’t end here. PCB requested the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to help verify data retrieved from the cell phones of these players. It seems that the FIA is also planning on running an investigation of its own. Four out of the five players – Jamshed is currently in England – were also placed on the Exit Control List (ECL). [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Nasir Jamshed
Photo: AFP[/caption] While this investigation has nothing to do with PCB’s tribunal, it has created some cause of concern with PSL Chairman Najam Sethi requesting the “powers that be” to first let PCB complete its own investigation. Speaking on the issue in his talk show on GEO TV, Sethi reiterated that PCB did not write to the FIA with a request to launch an investigation against the suspended cricketers. T20 leagues are easy targets for the fixing mafia. There are easy avenues to make quick money and exposure to players is not as restrained as it is during bilateral series or world tournaments. Take the example of Mashrafe Mortaza, the Bangladeshi T20 and ODI skipper who was approached before the 2012 Bangladesh Premier League in a bid to fix on wearing his sunglasses and hat during certain matches. As PCB continues its efforts to stamp out corruption from the game, this case presents a number of challenges. The most obvious one is the potential negative commercial effect on PSL. Will brands now become wary of associating with the league? The second is ensuring that the public’s trust is not lost. This factor seems to be in control, judging by the huge TV and stadium audiences during the remainder of the second season. The third challenge is to ensure that PCB establishes a certain level of trust with the players in general. The younger players should especially feel comfortable reporting any suspect approaches. A number of former cricketers have cited PCB’s failure to take decisive action in the past as one of the reasons behind this latest scandal. Some have gone on to suggest that this is a line in the sand moment. Javed Miandad has perhaps gone further than that, demanding capital punishment for those involved in any kind of fixing. Perhaps he was overcome with emotions but it is very likely that he was just playing for the gallery. Filled with hate towards the ugly spot-fixing and the players invested in it, Miandad said,

“Why don’t you take strong measures? You should give death penalty to such people. We must not tolerate such things, not at all”.

“When a player knows he will be forgiven and brought back into the national fold after four or five years, there isn’t any fear or deterrence.”

“Hope in reality is the worst of all evils, as it prolongs the torment of man.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

During the Sri Lankan tour to Pakistan in 2009, the bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team to the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore was fired upon by militants, injuring six Sri Lankan players and killing six policemen and two civilians. It was a sad day for Pakistan cricket as no country was willing to send its team to Pakistan after this unfortunate incident.  In a scathing attack on the serious security lapse, the then Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram said,

“Such incidents could make Pakistan a failed state, and that one was not sure as to who was in control of the country.”

“This is what people-to-people contact is supposed to be. It wouldn’t have made sense to separate people when they speak the same language.”

If the 90s era of Pakistan cricket was known for something, it was talent… wasted talent. For a side that carried match-winners like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar, Mushtaq Ahmed, Saeed Anwar, and Inzamamul Haq, to name a few, there was woeful underachievement. Sure, Pakistan won the 1992 World Cup, but with the retirement of Imran Khan soon after, the team went in a downward spiral. Thanks to constant in-fighting to allegations of match-fixing to backstabbing politics within the squad, Pakistan didn’t win nearly as many Test series and limited-over tournaments as they should have. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="533"] Pakistan celebrate in triumph after winning the 1992 World Cup despite not being favourites. Photo: ESPNcricinfo[/caption] Nothing exemplified this more than Pakistan’s tour to South Africa in the mid-90s, where during an ODI tri-series that Pakistan dominated in the first half, all hell broke loose after some cricketers blew the whistle on match-fixers, after which Pakistan crashed in the tournament. One of the cricketers respected for his stance on match-fixing was Aamir Sohail, a gutsy left-handed batsman who could on his day be more explosive than the more naturally gifted Saeed Anwar. After Sohail won the hearts of the public for his brave attitude on and off the field, some rumors began to spread in the media about his hot-headedness in the dressing room. Many didn’t give credence to these reports until Pakistan played India in the 1996 World Cup quarter-final in Bangalore, where Sohail was suddenly made captain after Akram pulled out of the match due to an injury. Here, India hammered Pakistan when they batted, setting Pakistan a target of 288 in 49 overs, which in 1996 might as well have been 350. Apparently, Pakistan faced a lot of abuse from the Bangalore crowd, including threats of violence, and when their turn came to chase, the atmosphere was so tense that you could feel it through your television sets. At the time, Pakistan was regarded to have the best ODI opening batsmen in the world, and the duo of Sohail and Anwar began to show why they had that reputation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF6hK4M4JuE The two made mincemeat of the Indian attack, and by the time Anwar fell at 84, Pakistan had an incredible run rate and it looked like easy sailing for the visitors. Unfortunately, cooler heads did not prevail. At a point when singles, doubles and the occasional boundary would have taken the team home, Sohail did the unthinkable. After smacking Venkatesh Prasad for a boundary on the offside, he taunted the seamer by pointing a finger at the direction he wanted to hit him next. Now, Sohail was in a bind. Seeing red, he tried to force himself into an unnatural position to play the shot, missed the ball, and was clean bowled in a humiliating fashion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhs6FP7L8H8 Sohail’s antics put the rest of the team under pressure, though to be fair, at 113-2 they should have still coasted. Ijaz Ahmed and Inzamam needlessly holed out to aggressive shots when all was under control, and by the time Javed Miandad and Saleem Malik came to the crease, the duo were far over their prime to lift the run rate after rebuilding cautiously. Interestingly, Sohail had been criticised for not handing over the captaincy to Miandad when Akram abruptly pulled out, though more on that later. When Sohail was made captain, reports in various papers claimed that he was growing paranoid. When the team lost under his captaincy, he accused the star talent of undermining his leadership by deliberately under performing. Some fans sympathised with Sohail, while others felt he was turning into the boy who had cried wolf and now saw wolves everywhere. I suppose that if Sohail was paranoid, one can empathise in the sense that except for a few, most of the star players accused by cricketers like Rashid Latif, Basit Ali, Sohail, and Ataur Rehman were still playing. But a picture of Sohail indeed being temperamental, impulsive, and paranoid had begun to take shape. After the disastrous World Cup in South Africa in 2003, Sohail was appointed chief selector and began to settle scores. Many of the former greats were forced to retire, and not given the send-offs the public expected. Again, this could have stemmed from the fact that Sohail had never seen justice delivered against the alleged match-fixers in his day, but some fans found his behaviour to be vindictive. It wasn’t until Sohail began to share his views as an expert on television that fans got a true taste of his personality. In the commentary box with other former cricketers, national and international, Sohail came across as rude, abrasive, and frankly, quite obnoxious. Sometimes, when the team under-performed, Sohail would make thinly veiled hints at match-fixing, though without an iota of evidence. Again, as a former whistle-blower who had to bear the indignity of playing with the cricketers he had spoken out against, it is possible to explain some of the paranoia, but Sohail was taking things too far. This is why I am not at all surprised by Sohail’s attack on new captain Sarfraz Ahmed after Pakistan beat Sri Lanka in their crucial group match. Here, responding to Ahmed’s decision not to dedicate the team’s victory to Miandad, which he was well within his rights to do, Sohail indirectly accused the side of their games through foul play at the hands of “facilitators”. Rightly, a storm was raised on social media for Sohail’s ridiculous comments. The statement reeked of pettiness and jealousy. Even former Indian cricketers came to Pakistan’s defence, with Sourav Ganguly terming Sohail’s words “stupid, ridiculous.” Sohail then appeared on a video with someone called Muhammad Shuayb to clarify, except his clarification came across as non-sensical damage control. Sohail claimed that when he said “facilitators” he actually meant the administrators of the game, who had deliberately played the semi-final on a slow used track so that Pakistan would have an advantage and potentially meet in a final with India, perhaps to generate more revenue. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dat-GJw19fk Of course, this was just more “stupid, ridiculous” stuff from Sohail. If he is claiming that the hosts England did this, then it doesn’t make sense since the side was ravenously hungry to finally win a big ODI tournament. If Sohail says that it was ICC’s plan to sell tickets for a Pakistan-India final, then why doesn’t the organisation do this every time? Why not give Pakistan home advantage everywhere? Perhaps what Sohail doesn’t realise is that the decision for this semi-final to take place on the used track was taken a year ago, so the ICC couldn’t have possibly known. No, it seems more like Sohail shot from the hip once again about match-fixing, and later tried desperately to save face. Strangely, Sohail was triggered by the situation with Miandad, yet in the fateful 1996 match, he paid no heed to the batsman’s appeal to be given a greater leadership role or to be sent at number three in the pivotal game. While Ahmed’s comments about former cricketers being harsh could be a bit naïve, criticism after failure is to be expected, there is truth to the fact that most Pakistani cricketers come on TV with axes to grind. With no other employment to speak of, it seems that former cricketers can’t see the difference between criticism and constructive criticism, especially since being angry pundits plays into their brand. It is a pity how cricketers can transform into angry vomit spewing ‘experts’ within a short period after their retirement. From Mohammad Yousuf to Shoaib Akhtar, former players who themselves often cost their sides because of their own poor performances now take to TV with whatever vitriol resides in their hearts. The lack of empathy for their comrades only points to petty jealousy, or an attempt at gaining popularity on TV post-retirement. In times like these, it is bittersweet to see Indian stars be more supportive of the Pakistan team than former Pakistan cricketers themselves. In spite of the political friction between Pakistan and India, both Ganguly and Harbhajan Singh came to Pakistan’s defence. What’s more, Virat Kohli gave a wonderfully gracious speech after losing the final. Here is the quote taken from Cricinfo,

“I want to congratulate Pakistan, they had an amazing tournament, the way they turned things around, speak volumes for the talent they have. They proved it again, they can upset anyone on their day, disappointing for us but I have a smile on my face because we played well to reach the final. Credit to them, they outplayed us today in all departments. This is what happens in sport. We can’t take anyone lightly but they were more intense and passionate on the day. With the ball we could have had a few more wicket-taking opportunities. We tried to do our best, but even with the ball, they were aggressive, we didn’t show any resistance apart from Hardik, whose knock was outstanding. (Bumrah no-ball?) Small margins can be massive but we’ve only lost a game of cricket, we need to move forwards and learn from our mistakes. The pitch was consistent throughout, we backed out strengths but weren’t good enough.”

Pakistan cricket had been the backbone of international cricket for several years. This boom started from the 70s, up until the early 2000s, primarily because of its ability to produce superstars and due to its unpredictable nature, which drew the attention of millions of fans worldwide towards a game that is not played by most countries. Let’s take a look back to where and how it started. After a horrifying decade of cricket in the 60s and the rise of field hockey in Pakistan, cricket was in grave danger of going extinct in our newly formed state. Fortunately for Pakistan cricket and even for world cricket, Pakistan appointed Mushtaq Mohammad as their Test captain. Mohammad belonged to a cricketing family. His brothers, particularly Hanif Mohammad (who can dare to forget the original little master) and Sadiq Mohammad were well known and reputable cricketers. Mohammad may not have been the most talented out of the five Mohammad brothers, but he did score the most first-class hundreds, even more than Hanif. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="469"] Hanif, Mushtaq and Sadiq Mohammad inspect a bat. Photo: PA[/caption]

Mohammad, after being appointed, had the uphill task of building a team and turning them into strong competitors in order to face the big boys of the West Indies, Australia and England. His position was similar to what Sarfraz Ahmed is facing these days and what India’s renowned captain Saurav Ganguly had to face in the early 2000s; build a team and turn them into world beaters.

While Ali Sethi managed to save the first episode of Coke Studio season 10 with a beautiful rendition of Ranjhish Hi Sahi, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recalled his father, Najam Sethi, as PCB’s new chairman. It was clearly a great week for the Sethi family. 

But this is not the first time Sethi has found himself at the helm of PCB’s affairs. He has competed with Zaka Ashraf for the position in the past as well, which definitely caused a lot of embarrassment for Pakistan on the international front.

Sethi generally garners animosity from the masses because of his affiliation with the Sharifs and the absence of any sort of cricketing experience. Senior former cricketers aren’t big fans of Sethi either since they believe that only cricketers should run cricket boards (even though Javed Miandad, during his stint as PCB’s director general, proved many of them wrong).

However, former cricketers such as Wasim Akram and Rashid Latif support Sethi and believe he is someone who can give Pakistan cricket a new direction. Let’s hope they are right.

When he was chairman PCB in the past, his stance regarding Pakistan’s vote for the controversial ‘Big Three’ proposal received mixed reactions from all circles. Many argue that it was not a pragmatic decision, considering Pakistan’s position in world cricket at that time.

Pakistan is yet to bear fruits for that decision of his. This is because the bilateral series that was promised between India and Pakistan as a result of Pakistan’s vote in favour of the Big Three has not materialised as yet and neither has Pakistan been financially compensated as a result of India backing out.

However, Sethi does have a success story attached to his name – the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The grandeur with which both editions of the tournament were organised is comparable to any major cricket league in the world. It speaks volumes of Sethi’s efforts in restoring the faith of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and many of its Pakistani board member.

Batting collapse, batting collapse, batting collapse, batting collapse, batting collapse, and batting collapse – no, this isn’t my failed attempt at rapping, but rather, an apt summary of Pakistan’s performance against New Zealand thus far. Pakistan have indeed upset many fans as the series progressed, but their unwillingness to learn from their mistakes makes it easy to summarise their performance in one breath. We all saw what happened; therefore, dissecting their batting troubles is like beating a dead horse at this stage – it won’t help. If Pakistan’s performance in ODIs was a video tape being played at normal speed, then the first T20 was the video played in fast forward. Nothing changed, except that the Pakistani team found even faster ways to throw wickets and end the misery of the fans sooner rather than later. I am equally hurt by Pakistan’s losses and am not taking this as an opportunity to apply salt to our wounds. However, I am not here to provide a list of the usual excuses either – different conditions, bouncy pitch, weird weather, new country, long flights, and so on. New Zealand has thus far dominated us fair and square. Our batting has been horrendous and our bowling has been average in both formats. It is as simple as that. Now, we may choose to learn from our mistakes to avoid such losses in the future, or continue to paint the wrong picture to deceive ourselves. The problem lies in the approach we now take towards the game, which at the moment is unclear and ineffective. Pakistan was once known for its bold moves. We unleashed Shahid Afridi at a time when T20s didn’t even exist; it made little sense but we did it anyways. Wasim Akram was given the new ball at an adolescent age, and we watched him create magic with it. Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar were ordered to go for the kill, while Javed Miandad was trained to be a fighter each time he went out to bat. We were different back then. We were fearless back then. Fast-forward to 2018, and now Pakistan has become the lost child of the cricket world. We are timid, we are shy and we are afraid to try something new. We have been slapped with humiliating defeats in Australia and New Zealand within the past 12 months, but instead of learning and growing better, we have grown immune to the pain and offered excuses to get away. Pakistan, what has happened to you? We want to play aggressive like we once used to, but then we burden our batting line-ups with inning builders and low strike rates. We desperately look up at Fakhar Zaman to provide our batting some impetus, but we are too afraid to induct more Zamans in the line-up. Sarfraz Ahmed is our latest star, with the Champions Trophy title under his belt. However, why he is hiding so low in the batting order is anyone’s guess. He has the ability, skill and talent to open for Pakistan and lead from the front, yet he chooses to sit back and watch his team lose in the same fashion, day in and day out. Even when Ahmed showed a moment of bravery by trying Faheem Ashraf as an opener in the fourth ODI against New Zealand, he was quick to doubt himself and sent Ashraf back down the order after one failure. Imagine if Imran Khan had lost trust in Akram’s ability and had done the same after one poor spell! The Champions Trophy was a fairy tale, something conjured right out of Disney world. It was spectacular and will always be cherished by the nation. However, it doesn’t hide the flaws that we have been developing over the years, including a defensive mindset and a lack of ability to make bold decisions. Ahmed cannot change the fate of the team by yelling excessively behind the stumps. He can only change the fate of the team by learning from their earlier mistakes and making the hard, yet necessary decisions. He can even use England as a case study. England completely transformed their team when Eoin Morgan took over, because they realised their old approach was outdated and a new approach was a must if they were to progress as a team. If I could suggest anything to Ahmed, I would advise him to have a clear vision and make the tough call to drop players that start a dot ball marathon in the middle of the innings. Given that we have already hit rock bottom, with a whitewash in ODIs and a humiliation in the first T20, how can trying a new approach and new players be any worse?

They say there is no suspense in inevitability, and Najam Sethi may have sensed that his goose was cooked when Imran Khan was sworn in as prime minister. As Sethi inevitably resigned, former International Cricket Council (ICC) President Ehsan Mani was named his successor. An appointment which was made official yesterday, after Mani was elected unopposed as the new chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). https://twitter.com/TheRealPCB/status/1036861729303683073 As a replacement for Sethi, there are only few candidates (Sethi included) better equipped and more qualified to run the PCB than Mani. In contrast to previous chairmen, who have had little background in cricket, Mani actually brings a wealth of experience in cricket administration to the table. His sterling reputation for being a trustworthy and honest man with a worldly view is just one reason why he has enjoyed such a long and fruitful relationship with the ICC. After representing the PCB from 1989 to 1996, Mani spent a lengthy tenure in the ICC which saw him appointed in various key positions such as chairman of the ICC finance and marketing committee and vice president of the ICC executive board. In 2003, he was appointed the president of the ICC, which despite being a ceremonial position, helped him earn a lot of goodwill among member boards by the time of his departure in 2006, due to the help he provided them in various areas. Time and time again, he has also helped Pakistani cricket in an advisory capacity. However, as PCB chairman, the challenges Mani will face will be completely alien compared to the ones he faced at the ICC. Here are just some of the challenges that await him in his new role: Dwindling state of domestic cricket At present, there is perhaps no area in more dire need of attention than Pakistan’s domestic structure. Just recently, former captain Misbahul Haq brought to light the truly deplorable dressing room of the Lahore City Cricket Association (LCCA) ground, which gives a general idea of the kind of facilities players regularly encounter in domestic cricket. But apart from the run-down nature of the stadiums and the lack of facilities, there also happens to be no proper infrastructure in place for grooming our players and helping them hone their skills at an early stage. https://twitter.com/captainmisbahpk/status/1036307509550694400 Moreover, the PCB, through a combination of negligence and incompetence, has actually worked steadily to run our premier domestic first-class tournament, the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, into the ground with each passing season. The disparities between regional teams and departmental teams have already ensured that the playing field is not levelled. However, through gruelling schedules, a constantly changing tournament format and some truly horrendous pitches, the PCB has only made things worse. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] The Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited players celebrate with the QEA Gold League trophy. Photo: PCB[/caption] The issue of the quality of pitches is particularly serious, and the previous season saw matches which rarely went past the second day with 20-24 wickets often falling in a single day’s play. The quality of pitches can be put into perspective by the fact that only one batsman, Saad Ali, accumulated 500 runs at an average of 50-plus (minimum 10 innings) last season and the average first innings total was 235, the lowest among all domestic first-class competitions in the world. And since matches rarely went to the third day, the need for reverse-swing and genuine pace, which used to be a pre-requisite for surviving on Pakistani pitches, was largely negated. Moreover, spinners who rarely got the chance to bowl on a wearing pitch were being used for containing runs rather than picking up wickets. Put all these things together and what you have is a tournament that is not only working against the goal of producing quality players but also effectively taking our cricket backwards. The curse of former cricketers In Pakistan, former cricketers seem to enjoy a level of influence uncommon for former cricketers in other countries. Not only do they seem to have the exclusive rights to criticise our players on various media outlets, but some of them seem to have some sort of a lifetime association with the PCB that sees them returning to key positions within the board, despite failed stints in the past. Iqbal Qasim, Wasim Bari, Javed Miandad, Moin Khan, Abdul Qadir and Intikhab Alam are just some of the names that Mani should avoid like the plague. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="451"] Shahid Afridi and team manager Moin Khan share a lighter moment during training. Photo: AFP[/caption] He needs to steer clear of players turned selectors/coaches/administrators that have either contributed to the decline of Pakistani cricket over the past decade and a half or have done absolutely nothing to quell it. Among these, the likes of Qasim and Bari represent chief selectors who showed no signs of moving ahead and were instead content with selecting tried and tested failures that constantly let the team down. Haroon Rasheed, Qadir and Moin were more or less extensions of the same idea as chief selectors. While Miandad, who already had three failed stints as Pakistan’s head coach between 1999 and 2004, found himself being appointed director general of the PCB under Ijaz Butt’s tenure, a ceremonial position with vaguely defined responsibilities but one that allowed him to collect a massive cheque every month. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Javed Miandad speaks to the Pakistan players. Photo: AFP[/caption] Former cricketers have an overbearing presence in Pakistani cricket, and while some genuinely possess the ability to make worthwhile contributions, it is important for Mani to look past a select few who have failed to make any difference in the past. Efficient running of the PCB Being a direct appointee of the prime minister, Mani inevitably brings with him many of the ideals and aspirations of the current government. And with the government leading a crackdown on systematic corruption, it’s only fair that the same is done for the PCB. As many people may know a recent news report suggested that the State Bank of Pakistan would soon be carrying out an audit of the PCB and all three editions of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), sanctioned by Finance Minister Asad Umar. The reason being that significant discrepancies were reported in regards to awarding of major contracts which led to heavy financial losses to the board, whereas a number of important appointments were said to be made on the basis favouritism. Apart from this, unnecessary expenses on foreign visits, opening ceremonies and salary bonuses have worsened PCB’s financial position, which despite the emergence of the PSL, is not considered to be a profitable cricket board. All this suggests that PCB as an organisation is rife with many of the same issues that currently plague so many of our institutions. It is bad enough that Pakistan has to host all its international matches in the UAE, which brings with it a crippling financial cost. The addition of inefficiency within the organisation only makes things worse. One challenge that Mani will face will be ensuring the PCB is an efficiently run and profitable organisation, free of any sort of corruption, nepotism and incompetence. Mani’s extensive background in finance means he is qualified enough to understand these problems and eradicate them, but only time will tell whether he and the people he appoints actually can. Whether Mani actually rises up to the challenge is something we will just have to wait and see. But if there’s one thing that can’t be questioned, it’s the fact that for the first time in a very long time, the PCB is in capable hands.

Sarfraz Ahmed takes pride in his T20 captaincy, as he holds the record of the highest win percentage as a T20 International captain and has taken Pakistan from number seven to number one in the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 rankings. However, he hasn’t enjoyed similar success as captain in other formats. Although, Pakistan won the Champions Trophy under him, that has proved to be an anomaly considering the results that have followed in the ODI format. However, it is his Test captaincy that has continuously come under the microscope since he took over. Pakistan losing their first home series in a decade under him, along with the recent Test defeats to New Zealand and South Africa, have only made those calls louder. Since he took over the Test reigns, Sarfraz’s batting form hasn’t helped his cause either, as he has been averaging a mere 26.94 in 20 innings. In the subcontinent, a captain has to perform in order to command respect and to have some influence in decision-making. Virat Kohli was able to replace Anil Kumble with Ravi Shastri as coach of the Indian team because he is the star performer of the Indian side and uses that influence to fight for what he wants. Similarly, Imran Khan also used to fight for the kind of players he wanted in the team and then gave them a fair chance to exhibit their abilities. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="600"] Sarfraz Ahmed and South Africa's Aiden Markram during South Africa vs Pakistan, 2nd Test in Cape Town, South Africa on January 3, 2019. Photo: Reuters[/caption] However, according to journalist Syed Yahya Hussaini, it is Mickey Arthur who has been calling the shots in terms of selections and Sarfraz has been complying with them, as he doesn’t enjoy much influence. However, if the rumours are to be believed, Sarfraz finally put his foot down before the second Test and fought for Asad Shafiq’s selection, as Arthur wanted to replace Shafiq with Mohammad Rizwan. This also led to suggestions of Sarfraz keeping his place safe by denying Rizwan a chance to perform, as that could put more pressure on his future as captain. Sarfraz admitted he is definitely feeling the heat and would have to step down from the captaincy if results don’t improve, as he believes the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) would sack him anyway. Sarfraz also lamented the lack of support from the media for the Pakistan team during these tough times, which has often affected the players mentally. For instance, Shoaib Akhtar also made a sarcastic remark after the first Test against South Africa, suggesting Sarfraz is promoting Shah Rukh Khan’s latest movie Zero. Misbahul Haq was also not spared such criticism, despite being a performing captain as well as winning in the UAE. It was his own performance that kept Misbah going and continue having an influence in the matter of player selection. https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1078972849640144897 Sarfraz has found some support from Wasim Akram, who believes Sarfraz is the best man to lead Pakistan due to the paucity of options available. However, some names have been doing the rounds on social media regarding who could possibly take over from Sarfraz in Test cricket. Azhar Ali and Shafiq were supposed to take the mantle from Misbah and Younis Khan, but they have often failed to take responsibility in high pressure situations. With both approaching the wrong side of their 30s, Pakistan can instead look at someone younger to take over the Test reigns. Babar Azam’s name was recently floated by Akhtar as a possible option. Azam has really come to his own in Test cricket this year, so the added responsibility of captaincy can create pressure on him and affect his batting. However, Kohli has revelled in such responsibility and has performed better since he took over the captaincy. Although it can also be argued that Kohli’s prime as a batsman coincided with his captaincy tenure. Another name that has come up out of nowhere is Shan Masood. Masood has easily appeared to be Pakistan’s most valuable player until now. His performance thus far during this South African tour and his articulate responses during press conferences have impressed some Pakistanis who often feel embarrassed with Sarfraz’s lack of communication skills. Masood has the experience of leading the Pakistan A side and has proved himself headstrong after making a successful comeback, despite the calls of nepotism often hounding him. Don’t be surprised if he actually ends up taking over from Sarfraz, as Pakistan has often gotten long term successful captains out of the blue, be it Imran after Javed Miandad, Inzamamul Haq after Rashid Latif, or Misbah after Salman Butt. https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5q72qs Arthur still maintains Sarfraz is the right choice for the captain and needs support to get his batting form back. Sarfraz finally did find some form in the first innings of the second Test match, but if the team results don’t go his way, will he be able to withstand the pressure? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-PPXUafCjQ&feature=youtu.be When Ali stepped down as the ODI captain in 2017, he also gave up vice captaincy of the Test side. Pakistan can ill afford a similar situation, especially with World Cup being just five months away. Drastic changes in leadership or personnel just months before the World Cup have often ended up in disastrous results for Pakistan. Pakistan’s next Test series is in October after the World Cup, so if Sarfraz decides to relinquish his Test captaincy, he should only announce it after the series ends. Announcing it before the World Cup might diminish Sarfraz’s authority further, and lead to camps being formed within the team. Akram also believes that Pakistan should have only one captain in all formats, suggesting that where players find it hard to follow one leader, it becomes even harder for them to follow three. The PCB should avoid taking any hasty decisions on this front and conduct a proper appraisal after the South African tour. Pakistan Super League (PSL) starts a week after the South African tour ends, but that should not mean that the South African tour is forgotten and brushed under the carpet. The same situation was witnessed last year, like the ODI whitewash in New Zealand, which was also followed by the PSL. Everyone got distracted by the PSL then as well and forgot about the abysmal performance of our team, and if this year is to better, we cannot afford a similar mistake again.