Pakistan must go back to basics and forget finding scapegoats : PETER ROEBUCK

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Plain as day Pakistan sport lacks stable administration and far-sighted planning. More... Pakistan must go back to basics and forget finding scapegoats PETER ROEBUCK March 13, 2010 Turmoil has become the main feature of sport in Pakistan. In a single week the national cricket team has been gutted and the management and selectors of the hockey side have been unceremoniously sacked. Even by local standards these actions seem drastic, and smack of an attempt to placate a furious public and a worried government. It can take years to build a team and five minutes to demolish it. Plain as day Pakistan sport lacks stable administration and far-sighted planning. Everything is feverish and when things go wrong officials lash out. Far from examining the quality of the players and the system that produces them, the boards apportion blame. Usually it does more harm than good. Anyone able to name the Pakistan side to play the first Test match against Australia at Lord's in a few months deserves a prize. Naming the captain is a tricky enough proposition. At present Pakistan have more skippers than the US navy but most of them have been put in dry dock. By the look of things Waqar Younis will coach the side. Australia recently trounced Pakistan's 1st X1 so it is hard to see callow reserves causing any complications. Pakistan's suspension of Mohammad Yousuf and Younus Khan came as a shock. Both had led the Test team in the past 12 months. Moreover they count among the best batsmen around. Both average more than 50 in Test cricket, remain fit and have a few more good years left in them. Or so it seemed. The bans result from a report produced by a group of six elders asked to investigate the problems that arose on the recent tour to Australia. Soundings were taken, statements were made and finally the conclusions were presented whereupon drastic action was taken. Neither Yousuf nor Younus was an ideal captain. Younus is charming but erratic. Yousuf seems amiable but insecure, possibly the result of a humble upbringing - his father swept the floors at Lahore train station. Alas Younus and Yousuf did not get along, with each other or with Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi. So much for team huddles. Ordinarily it is possible to sort out differences of this sort. Sporting teams are not jolly tea parties. They are more like families, sometimes fractious, sometimes warm. The pressure is intense and arguments are inevitable. Usually they can be settled without sending for Henry Kissinger. But the party lacked strong leadership so disputes festered. Pakistan desperately need to find a bunch of senior players prepared to serve and not seek. In that regard India have been more fortunate. Whatever happened on that ill-fated tour it is hard to believe indefinite bans were justified. Penalties on that scale are reserved for those guilty of drastic misconduct. No evidence of the sort has been presented. More likely the elders were exasperated by the prolonged bickering. Eventually officials can tire of trying to paper over the cracks. It happened at Somerset in 1986 when several distinguished players were removed after the cider county endured two miserable and unproductive seasons. Besides ejecting its two most recent captains, the Pakistan Cricket Board also imposed a year's suspension on two other seasoned warriors, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Shoaib Malik. Rana's offences are unknown but presumably he was not the life and soul of the party. Nor was that all. The PCB also imposed heavy fines on the Akmal brothers. Kamran had a dreadful match at the SCG dropping four catches, one of them distressing. Afterwards he refused to accept his dumping. Umar protested about his brother's treatment. No board expecting to retain any remaining hint of authority could ignore these breaches of discipline. In a trice almost an entire team has been ditched. Clearly it is an attempt to discipline a fractious outfit. But it does not address the other issues such as appalling running between wickets and fielding. Bickering was not the only problem. Yousuf's team dropped sitters and suffered several ridiculous run-outs in Tasmania. It spoke of a lack of application and cricketing sense. The basics were not given their due. Until that changes, until hard work and tough training and intelligence are restored throughout the system, Pakistan cannot hope to bounce back. Sacking a few players is not going to improve anything if their replacements come into the same lazy and self-centred culture. It is not enough to change the guard. The causes need to be examined, and that means going beyond petty personal disputes. Happy, and rare, is the sport governed by dedicated, rational and alert guardians. Australian tennis enjoys no such privilege. Pakistan cricket needs to find responsible players able to stick together and strong structures off the field. Otherwise it cannot hope to make a fist of it at Lord's, or anywhere else.

[Mr. Wicket]

Well ****ing duh!

[bsriharsha]

Roebuck's captain obvious

[achilles]

Peter Roebuck has been reading my comments on ICF. :winky:

[bsriharsha]

isn't that what everyone thinks....oh well everyone except the paki's but then the pak's are never known for using their brain a whole lot :hehe:

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Mudassar for ending culture of infighting in Pakistan team Former Test all rounder Mudassar Nazar has criticized the culture of internal squabbles in the Pakistan cricket and blamed Younus Khan’s colleagues for forcing his resignation and reluctance to continue as captain. More... Mudassar for ending culture of infighting in Pakistan team LONDON, March 13 (APP)-Former Test all rounder Mudassar Nazar has criticized the culture of internal squabbles in the Pakistan cricket and blamed Younus Khan’s colleagues for forcing his resignation and reluctance to continue as captain. Speaking to the UK-based website **********.net he asked how can a player who took the country in the T20 World Cup glory be allowed to just walk away from captaincy adding that this is just yet another episode of the infighting that has haunted Pakistan cricket since long. “The only time this was eradicated was when Imran Khan was captain and even though a strong personality like Javed Miandad was in the dressing room, both players fought tooth and nail to ensure that it was the country that came first, ahead of any personal issues. Any off the field differences were put aside and players under Imran concentrated on issues on the field, which seems to be rather different to the current setup.” Mudassar,a veteran of 76 Tests, who is currently working for the ICC as one of the coaches at their Global Cricket Academy in Dubai felt that whilst Younus Khan cited allegations of match fixing were the reason behind his resignation as skipper, the real reasons were more “close to home” and involved team mates plotting against him. “Never mind the politicians suggestions of match fixing, it was his team mates that made Younus’ mind up to resign as captain. The damage to Younus was done in the dressing room and not in the corridors of power. This whole culture of infighting has to stop,” Mudassar urged. Responding to a question on stopping the infighting, he suggested relaunching of regional academies on sound lines. “There is so much good work being done with young cricketers of all ages, preparing them for domestic cricket and ultimately preparing them for international cricket. Work was being done with the boys on anti-doping and so many other areas that prepared them and educated them for their futures. Sadly though the regional academies have been shelved due to monetary reasons and a whole generation of cricketers and no doubt future generations of Pakistani cricketers will miss out on some valuable and essential cricketing education.” He also argued in favour of PCB releasing report that led to punishment to seven players including Younus Khan and Muhammad Yousaf. “The report should have been made public, because as things stand, we are all unsure of why exactly the likes of Yousuf, Malik, Rana and Younus have been punished. The Board would have had more sympathy if they had disclosed the report and revealed the reasons why the players have been dealt with so harshly.”

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Imran Khan wants shake-up of Pakistan cricket Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan says the country's cricket structure needs to be changed to help revive the fortunes of the national team. More... Imran Khan wants shake-up of Pakistan cricket Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan says the country's cricket structure needs to be changed to help revive the fortunes of the national team. Pakistan's cricket team is in disarray after a host of players were recently sanctioned after they lost all nine matches of a tour to Australia. "Pakistan cricket has to sort itself out," ex-all rounder Khan told BBC Asian Network. "The team is a symptom of Pakistan cricket not being an institution." Khan added: "The president of Pakistan should not appoint a cricket board chairman, that's where the problems begin. "The chairman should be elected through regional organisations and, because that doesn't happen, the team basically reflects the chaos which lies in the cricket board." The Pakistan Cricket Board banned Mohammad Yousuf and Younus Khan indefinitely after the tour to Australia after they had been involved in "infighting ... brought down the whole team". Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal also face fines or bans. Khan says the players need to be disciplined and that they should still be motivated to play for their country but insists the foundation of the team's problems lie in the way Pakistan cricket is run. "I was a very strict disciplinarian," he said. "I did not tolerate indiscipline but I also know the problems I used to face with the cricket board which was run on an ad hoc basis. "Without discipline you cannot have teamwork. (But) you cannot have players who are not trying their best simply because they do not like the captain or something. "You go out to represent your country and you have to give your best shot. "I do believe that players should be disciplined but the real problem still lies in making the cricket board into an institution."

[achilles]

Mudassar saab is being Captain Obvious. Unfortunately, PCB is still busy nailing their own Managers and players instead of revealing reasons.

[achilles]

With all due respect to Imran bhai, when was the last time he actually spoke something good about anything in Pakistan?

[achilles]

PCB's latest diktat-

[vvvslaxman]

So Mudassar encourages his players to pick fight with other teams?

[Chandan]

So Mudassar encourages his players to pick fight with other teams?

It is not that. When he is accepting the pure short-coming of his team, you don't agree. When any former cricketer from Pakistan praises the players or the team, you don't agree. What do you want? It is important to have at least 6-7 strong test teams in the world, if we want test cricket to survive. And one test nation after other going into the gutter doesn't help test cricket at all. So can we have a constructive discussion, even if it concerns Pakistan? Actually I agree with Imran that a good cricket board chosen through democratic process and sound domestic structure is a must for any country to florish in cricket. Just look at India! One regime of BCCI has become almost dictatorial due to which domestic cricket is suffering heavily, and certain states are ignored. And India will soon find itself into trouble when its stalwarts leave, because the current set of selectors don't have any vision, any plan for the future and we got a glimpse of it through one test at Nagpur this year when just 2 of the experienced batsmen went missing. Pakistan needs a strong cricket board but before that it'll have to get rid of the ad-hocism through which it is run. Any views?

[retterimp]

back to basics as in back to playing gully cricket? :hmmm:

[Lurker]

Any views?

My view is that of letting out a laugh anytime Imran Khan mentions Pakistan cricket and lack of instiution. Well it was basically initiated by the great man himself who basically rendered the PCB useless. So long as that worked everyone, in Pakistan and abroad, were gaga over "talent". When it fell on its face nobody is around to pick the pieces. But yes generally speaking the domestic structure has to change and get strong. However in case of Pakistan it is not merely strengthening it thats the challenge, it would be essentially creating it. Unlike India Pakistan never had a good domestic structure, one reason why its players have always played county cricket. It would take a while before the domestic structure is in place, then right administartors comes out of these. Frankly I dont see that happening

[vvvslaxman]

Chandan you have to stop paying attention to my tongue-in-cheek comments.

[Pak_Forever]

My view is that of letting out a laugh anytime Imran Khan mentions Pakistan cricket and lack of instiution. Well it was basically initiated by the great man himself who basically rendered the PCB useless. So long as that worked everyone, in Pakistan and abroad, were gaga over "talent". When it fell on its face nobody is around to pick the pieces. But yes generally speaking the domestic structure has to change and get strong. However in case of Pakistan it is not merely strengthening it thats the challenge, it would be essentially creating it. Unlike India Pakistan never had a good domestic structure, one reason why its players have always played county cricket. It would take a while before the domestic structure is in place, then right administartors comes out of these. Frankly I dont see that happening

I disagree. If you think about overall cricket then Pakistan have produced better over all cricketers. We have produced as good batsmen as India, fielding has sucked as always at both sides and well no point going into bowlers. Currently in batting talent I don't see anyone good enough coming out of India either (Steyn against your young guns) apart from Kholi. The only change i would like to see in Pakistani domestic is better pitches. And County teams have always chased world class bowlers than batsmen. That's why they used to dream about our bowlers and they were paid handsome money too.

[vvvslaxman]

I disagree. If you think about overall cricket then Pakistan have produced better over all cricketers. We have produced as good batsmen as India' date=' fielding has sucked as always at both sides and well no point going into bowlers. Currently in batting talent I don't see anyone good enough coming out of India either[b'] (Steyn against your young guns) apart from Kholi. The only change i would like to see in Pakistani domestic is better pitches. And County teams have always chased world class bowlers than batsmen. That's why they used to dream about our bowlers and they were paid handsome money too.

Badri and Saha are not really going to be our permanent solution. That was just a selection goof up. Dinesh karthik played Steyn with ease both in South Africa and here as well. Rohit, Raina, Kohli, Vijay, Pandey and still a dozen more batsmen who are in the reckoning. Look at your bowling. Apart from Asif everyone else is piece of crap. Aamer had one good spell. He has suddenly become a world class bowler? What is his bowling average? 40 plus or something. Ajmal, Kaneria couple of impotent spinners. Gul.. every tom, dick and harry are smashing him all over. Indian bowling is beter than your bowling.

[satyam1729]

I disagree. If you think about overall cricket then Pakistan have produced better over all cricketers. We have produced as good batsmen as India, fielding has sucked as always at both sides and well no point going into bowlers. Currently in batting talent I don't see anyone good enough coming out of India either (Steyn against your young guns) apart from Kholi. The only change i would like to see in Pakistani domestic is better pitches. And County teams have always chased world class bowlers than batsmen. That's why they used to dream about our bowlers and they were paid handsome money too.

Certainly pakistan has produced as good batsmen as India. Perhaps this is why no pakistani batsman averages 50 outside their home while 5 indians have achieved this record. http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/stats/index.html?class=1;filter=advanced;home_or_away=2;home_or_away=3;opposition=1;opposition=2;opposition=3;opposition=4;opposition=5;opposition=6;opposition=7;opposition=8;orderby=runs;team=6;team=7;template=results;type=batting And yes there is no point going to bowling after all kumble, harbhajan,prasanna, chandrashekhar were inferior to qadir and saqlian

[Serani]

Pakistan cricket is just a reflection of the country they represent, both going in the wrong direction.

[satyam1729]

I disagree. If you think about overall cricket then Pakistan have produced better over all cricketers. We have produced as good batsmen as India, fielding has sucked as always at both sides and well no point going into bowlers. Currently in batting talent I don't see anyone good enough coming out of India either (Steyn against your young guns) apart from Kholi. The only change i would like to see in Pakistani domestic is better pitches. And County teams have always chased world class bowlers than batsmen. That's why they used to dream about our bowlers and they were paid handsome money too.

And regarding county cricket chasing, those county can't afford indian batsmen like sachin,sehwag,dravid. This is why they used to chase cheap pakistani players.Do you know Gavaskar had refused to play in county cricket