By Syed Intikhab Ali
Karachi: The PCB’s Governing Board members meeting will be held on Wednesday (today) and its top most agenda will be amending the constitution to allow an extended term to Shakil Sheikh as president Islamabad cricket association. What great service the Governing Board members are doing the game!
Pakistan under-19 cricket team lost against Afghanistan in Asia Cup final. This was the second successive defeat against the minnows, which shows how well the affairs of the game are being run in the country.
A country which has been ruined by two long wars over the last four decades and has little infrastructure defeated a country which has 70 years cricket history, and has won ODI World Cup, World T20 and most recently Champions Trophy. This can only happen in PCB: the more you destroy the game by killing merit, the higher you will get.
In both matches, Pakistan failed to score 100 runs. They lost as if they had started playing cricket recently. It should open the eyes of the government, which has done nothing to check the wrongdoings in the PCB.
Najam Sethi had had nothing to do with cricket in his entire life, but he was appointed chairman of the board.
He does not know the basic requirements of the game. He is surrounded by some sycophants who get whatever they want from him because of his ignorance. And this BOG meeting is an example.
The devastation of Pakistan domestic cricket can be gauged from the fact that Pakistan who won the under-19 world cup twice in 2000s are now facing defeats against Afghanistan, a nation that has been granted Test status only recently.
The situation is that Pakistan U-19 played only 15 OD1s in two years, while Afghanistan U-19 played 14 ODIs. India played 28. Who is planning such a rubbish program for Pakistan cricket team!
Pakistan’s domestic matches are affected by fog every year, which means the people sitting in the PCB are repeating their blunders.
The PCB chief had been talking of West Indies coming to Pakistan, but now he has said very conveniently that their tour has been cancelled due to the same reason. What a joke with Pakistan cricket! As if he did not know previously that there is fog in many cities of the country in these months.
What is the CEO Subhan Ahmed doing? He is considered an expert in talking to the ICC high officials. Will the GB members review the performance of Subhan?
Instead of taking stern action against the selection committee of junior cricket, coaches and other trainers, the BOG members have called an emergency meeting to extend the tenure of a person who has destroyed the game in the country.
When Iqbal Qasim was the chairman of the selection committee in 2010, Pakistan lost three test matches, 5 ODIs, and one T20I against Australia. He resigned. But the current officials of PCB do not have any principles, it seems.
The PCB is focusing solely on T20 cricket, because of which Pakistan is suffering a lot in Test and ODIs.