Pakistan’s greatest Test leg-spinner Abdul Qadir expressed surprise that PCB chairman Ehsan Mani has delegated his responsibilities to others as he has established a cricket committee and appointed Waseem Khan as the chief executive.
The chairman of the board is responsible for all cricket affairs in Pakistan. He should lead from the front as a strong PCB chairman instead of giving his powers to others.
While talking to ScoreLine, Abdul Qadir said that taking proposals and suggestions is one thing, but giving responsibilities to others is entirely another.
Giving responsibilities to others means that the PCB chairman wants to save himself from criticism but he should know that in Pakistan the chairman of PCB is all in all and he is responsible for all cricketing affairs.
Qadir said that whitewash by South Africa should be an eye opener. Pakistan Test team completely failed and surprisingly no one is asking who is responsible for this disaster. The head coach, batting coach and the selection committee are responsible.
He said that there is no one in the PCB to ask Mickey Arthur, batting coach Andy Flower and chairman selection committee Inzamam-ul-Haq why and how this disaster happened. There is race to capture positions in the board, but there is no one to look at the ruined condition of Pakistan in Test matches.
They are withdrawing heavy salaries but the result is a whitewash, Qadir said.
He asked why Sohail Khan who took five wickets in an innings was out of the team. “Why has Rahat Ali not been selected? Why was Sami Aslam not selected? When Muhammad Amir can be selected why not Salman Butt? Why is Inzamam’s nephew getting chances despite failures?” he said.
He said that Pakistan cricket is in the danger as Arthur and Andy have completely failed to restore the prestige of Pakistan Test cricket team.
He said that Mani should came to the front as he is the chairman of the board.
“How many walls Mani Sahib can build in the shape of Wasim Khan and task forces? Questions would be asked of him. He would be blamed for failures, not those whom he has appointed,” he added.
The former leg spinner said on the one hand there was a Task Force and on the other hand a cricket committee is also working on the directives of PCB.
“If Wasim Akram, a great cricketer, Misbah-ul-Haq, most successful captain and Mohsin Khan, a great batsman and successful coach and selector, cannot give their opinion in the interest of domestic cricket then who can,” Qadir questioned.
He said that accountability in the PCB is the need of the hour. There are people who have clung to big positions for a long time but failed to produce good results, he added.
“Haroon Rashid has been associated with the board for about a decade. Now he is working as director domestic and once again he is going to change the first class cricket system in the country,” he said.
Qadir said that if departmental cricket teams are abolished not only the employment of cricketers would be finished but the club cricket would also be ruined which is the nursery of cricket. The club cricketers would suffer the most when departmental cricketers would occupy places in regional cricket teams, he added.
He appealed to PM Imran Khan to take notice of the condition of cricket in Pakistan cricket. “If he doesn’t correct the wrongdoings in the board then who will,” he said.