Kamran Abbasi
Younis Khan, a committee, and a circus
Kamran Abbasi
25-Feb-2013
Pakistan's cricketers must be quite confused. One minute they are appearing before a parliamentary committee, the next it's one set up by the PCB for reasons of "performance evaluation." In between there are ad-hoc committees on television, where the multiplication of channels has spawned an orgy of pontification and inquisition about the malign state of affairs in Pakistan cricket. Oh yes, and let's not forget the burning effigies.
In the wake of all this angst Younis Khan has declined the captaincy. Nothing predicts behaviour like behaviour, as any good psychiatrist will tell you, and Younis has already shown his reluctance to take on the captaincy unless he is perfectly happy. I wonder how somebody could refuse the leadership of his country at a moment such as this? When Younis turned it down before the Champions Trophy I received an email from Bob Woolmer that described how baffled he was by Younis's behaviour. And Bob always supported Younis.
Full postCoach and captain: ten matters of choice
The Pakistan Cricket Board is close to announcing a new coach and captain
Kamran Abbasi
25-Feb-2013
The Pakistan Cricket Board is close to announcing a new coach and captain. At this crucial juncture in the dumbfounding story of Pakistan cricket, here are some issues for the erudite souls on the ad-hoc committee to consider (I bring you this topic after some pestering by Mr Javed A Khan, Montreal):
1 Choose a captain on merit not hierarchy, for positive reasons not negative. When Inzamam was made captain, I asked Ramiz Raja, then CEO of the PCB, why? He replied, with a shrug of his shoulders, that Inzamam was most senior and there was nobody else. Let's not make that mistake again (in other words don't appoint Mohammad Yousuf by default).
2 Choose a captain with energy, attitude, and ideas. Pakistan cricket made something of itself in the 1980s and 1990s because it adopted a positive mindset. Let's have no more lazy preparations, fearfulness, and cerebral vacancy.
Full postBring on the calypso
Anybody who was awestruck by the West Indian teams of the 1970s and 1980s and captivated by the allure of calypso cricket will be bitterly disappointed
Kamran Abbasi
25-Feb-2013
Anybody who was awestruck by the West Indian teams of the 1970s and 1980s and captivated by the allure of calypso cricket will be bitterly disappointed. I remember the first time Sky showed a live Test series from the Caribbean, England were routed but the atmosphere that shone out of my television screen brightened many cold, dark evenings.
When the World Cup was awarded to the West Indies everybody expected to be touched by that same warmth, either in person or via HD, LCD, or cathode ray. Instead, the World Cup has served up a soulless experience, worsened by the death of Bob Woolmer, the elimination of India, Pakistan, and possibly West Indies, and a ticketing policy that has removed the atmosphere from the tournament. A conspiracy theorist might blame the ICC for all three of these calamities--for various reasons from match-fixing to bad planning--but that presumably would be unfair?
As a fan of West Indian cricket I want this World Cup to succeed. It still can. Belatedly, more imaginative ticketing policies are being implemented. This may be too little too late but let's hope not. There are still plenty of big matches to look forward to, and yesterday's thriller between England and Sri Lanka might be the turning point as teams become more desperate to secure points. Finally, West Indies can still qualify for the semi-finals, and I hope they do. Cricket needs to be strong in all four corners of the globe for it to grow as a sport, and anybody who loves cricket must want the West Indian team and their supporters to be a major force again.
And what's all this wishful thinking got to do with Pak Spin? Well, apart from a thrilling tournament being good for cricket and West Indian cricket in particular, I want those international losers from Pakistan (and India) to regret and curse every moment of their absence from this World Cup. I want them to view the levels of professionalism on display and understand what they need to do. I want them to be desperately hungry for success next time--so hungry that it hurts, just like it hurts their fans to see them out of the tournament.
Full postHail McGrath but remember Wasim
Kamran Abbasi
25-Feb-2013
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Glenn McGrath, the human metronome, took Wasim Akram's record of most wickets in World Cup cricket. Australia have dominated the World Cup since Pakistan beat them at Headingley in 1999 thanks largely to McGrath's brilliance and the record is well deserved.
It says something about Pakistan's World Cup that their only bowler to set a world record in this tournament was Mohammad Yousuf who took a wicket with his only ball.
About the only positive I will take away from this tournament from a Pakistani perspective is the way that his contemporaries have acclaimed Wasim Akram as the greatest bowler of his generation. When that accolade comes from Brian Lara, the greatest batsman of the same generation, then that is high praise indeed.
Full postPower without responsibility: the story of Pakistan
Ashraf has presided over the most disastrous period in the history of Pakistan cricket and it's shocking that he has been asked to continue with his job, writes Kamran Abbasi
Kamran Abbasi
25-Feb-2013
Today we hear that Mushy, the president not the assistant coach, has not accepted the resignation of his pal Nasim Ashraf. This is a diabolical decision. Ashraf has presided over the most disastrous period in the history of Pakistan cricket. Blessed by failure he is being asked to continue and finish the job. God help us. The job he gave the impression of performing was the destruction of Pakistan cricket.
Following the lead of his own boss, President Mushy, he appointed his own pals and acquaintances to key PCB positions. No wonder Pakistan cricket is in a mess.
Full postAsian giants become minnows
Some might say that the World Cup is better off without the bloated stars of India and Pakistan but it's a punishment for arrogance, decadence, and incompetence
Kamran Abbasi
25-Feb-2013
Some might say that the World Cup is better off without the bloated stars of India and Pakistan. As a punishment for arrogance, decadence, and incompetence it is probably well deserved. But as arrogant, decadent, and incompetent as these two cricketing giants might be, their absence from the second part of this tournament does detract from it. Yes, there is a certain romance about Ireland's progress and something exhilarating about Bangladesh's youthful dash for the Super Eights. Yes, it is tremendous to see minnows walk with giants and giants fall to minnows. But the tournament has been stripped of perhaps twelve heavyweight encounters.
The players, of course, have only themselves to blame (along with their cricket boards and their coaching staff) although being wrong footed in one match looks a harsh methodology to condemn these two great cricketing nations to four years of waiting.
Full postWhy Pakistan needs a Woolmer sports institute
Bob Woolmer murdered
Kamran Abbasi
25-Feb-2013
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Bob Woolmer murdered? The world is shocked and ashamed that a such a genial and warm-hearted soul could die by somebody's hand. I keep saying it can't get any worse for Pakistan cricket and it keeps getting worse by gigantic leaps. It is likely too that the identity of the murderer will make the matter even more unpalatable. Throughout all this I am amazed by how dignified Bob's family have been at a time of utmost distress. They are people of genuine character and fortitude.
The President of Pakistan has already awarded Bob a distinguished civil honour. My suggestion would be for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to set up a sports science and cricket institute at a major university in Pakistan--and by this I don't mean another National Cricket Academy. The institute could be named after Bob or have a professorial chair named after him.
I think this would serve three purposes. First, it would create something that would chime with Bob's passion for the science of cricket and further the frontiers of knowledge. Secondly, it would be an investment in the talent in Pakistan, a talent that Bob so admired but felt frustrated that he could not develop quickly enough. Thirdly, it would mean the PCB had an onus to support the long-term development of Pakistan cricket, something again that Bob felt wasn't given enough attention while he was alive.
Full postInzamam was right to go but not now
Inzamam has settled most of the debate about his future
Kamran Abbasi
25-Feb-2013
Inzamam has settled most of the debate about his future. He got it half right by stepping down from the captaincy and calling it quits in one-day cricket. It is time for a new approach in Pakistan cricket and he has finally realised that.
Despite a few flashes of his old self in the last year he now looks a misfit in one-day internationals. His decision to play on in Test matches is one he will have plenty of time to reconsider since Pakistan's next Test is months away.
Where Inzy got it half wrong was in his timing. But he was already clearly devastated by the loss to Ireland and the death of Bob Woolmer must have made it harder to think clearly.
Full postThe tragedy of Bob Woolmer
Bob Woolmer's death is an utter shock
Kamran Abbasi
25-Feb-2013
Bob Woolmer's death is an utter shock. He was a thoroughly decent man who wanted the best for Pakistan cricket and its talented players. I had utmost respect for Bob's dedication to Pakistan cricket and never doubted his desire for the team to succeed. Ultimately he failed. Much of that was to do with the failures of the Pakistan system and the domineering approach of Inzamam. Some of the responsibility did rest with Bob, and he knew it.
At the end of Pakistan's tour to England he promised me that he would do more to assert his ideas upon the team's strategy. But within days Pakistan cricket was in turmoil. A new captain, a new board chairman, and a new feel to Pakistan cricket. I'm not sure Bob ever recovered his poise after that but his commitment to the cause meant that he stuck with it. I am shocked and distraught at Bob's loss to world cricket, and feel great sadness for his family who he always spoke of fondly. He may not have succeeded in the way that he wished with Pakistan but he was brave enough to take on an almost impossible job.
Some readers have rebuked me for criticising Bob in my open letter. To my mind, that's an insult to Bob's intelligence. He was a media man. He understood how the media works. He expected criticism and responded well to it. He was robust enough to challenge his critics, and would take them on directly. He expected me to call it as I see it and would give his honest views in return. We had a great professional relationship because we both wanted the same thing: Pakistan to succeed. If I thought it was time for Bob to go he would have expected me to tell him, although of course he may have disagreed. That is a measure of the man, a thinker, a debater, and an innovator.
My last exchange with Bob occurred before Pakistan's match against Ireland. He was cautiously optimistic. I asked him whether Pakistan could win the cup. He said: "Inshallah, to quote the team."
Full postShamed by the shamrock: an open letter
Kamran Abbasi
25-Feb-2013
Dear Inzy, Bob, and the Doc,
There have been many bad days in the history of Pakistan cricket but 17th March was probably the worst. You have taken a group of players with ability and turned them into the most spineless, lethargic bunch in the world.
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