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The Pakistan board organised a seminar aimed at coming up with strategies to win the World Cup in 2007
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Nothing beats a good workshop to rid a country of its woes. Whether it's
Empowering the Cute Chihuahuas of Ministers' Wives, Engendering the Role
of the Military in Pakistan or Uplifting the Politician's Lot, only
through a few capital letters, tea, sandwiches, and a conference hall
chock-full of stakeholders can a nation be resuscitated. The conceptual
beauty of these things has never been lost on the PCB either.
Former chairmen Tauqir Zia and Shaharyar Khan held numerous seminars early
in their tenures. Nasim Ashraf, PCB chairman for just under two months,
has seen no reason to stray, organizing the grand sounding 'Creating a
Winning Team: The Future of Cricket in Pakistan' at the National Cricket
Academy in Lahore following the first Test against the West Indies (a
defeat might have added the requisite somberness).
At no small expense, ex-cricketers, administrators, well-wishers and
journalists were invited, from around the country and beyond. Six recent
captains, Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram, Zaheer Abbas, Aamer
Sohail and Moin Khan, were missing thus depriving the roundtable of
considerable gravitas. Miandad's absence made news, the board having
curiously 'forgotten' to initially send him an invite (a typing error
apparently), which is a little like forgetting how to breathe.
First up, attendees were to formulate a strategy to enable Pakistan to win
the World Cup. And there we were thinking coaches, captains and players
deal with trivialities like that. Perhaps the message was, like war, that
cricket is too grave a matter to leave in the hands of cricketers?
Participants, old and new, chucked in their two paisas, barely
three months before the assignment.
Take a legspinner said many, lose the allrounders and use the specialists
others, sort out Shahid Afridi's place insisted a few, lose the captain
said the odd one and play left-arm spinners said Abdul Qadir. The two
whose views matter most - Inzamam-ul-Haq and Bob Woolmer - were
Multan-bound that morning and unless we were tapped, it's doubtful whether
they heard. Or indeed cared to.
Potentially of more interest was discussing the role of captain, coach and
manager in modern day cricket. It began politely; older ex-cricketers
querying how essential a coach was. Qadir, bristling like he had a ball in
hand and Englishmen in his sights, said coaches were not needed. At all.
Younger minds patiently retorted that it wasn't so. Soon it degenerated
into, inevitably and regrettably, a question of nationality. Foreign
coaches were denounced, ludicrously by some out of misplaced nationalism
and credibly by others citing problems with communications.
Funnily enough, nobody recalled the Dutchman, Hans Jorritsma, who guided
Pakistan to their last hockey World Cup, or that Woolmer helped Pakistan
win series against England, India and Sri Lanka. Mercifully, the chairman
and Asif Iqbal instilled rationality, arguing that the only issue that
mattered was whether or not a coach was capable enough.
As ever, for domestic cricket was reserved the most impassioned debate. A
few historians will tell you, with sadness, that of the 53 seasons, no two
consecutive ones have retained the same format, structure or number of
teams. Though it will not change this season, it is unlikely to remain so
for next season. Attempts were made to crack the oldest chestnuts: Should
there be a role for departments, how should regions be divided, are there
too many matches, are there too few, how can the game be revitalised at
lower levels and is there really anything the matter with domestic
cricket?
Regional administrators, misguidedly sidelined during the previous tenure,
insisted the roles of their associations needed enhancement, occasionally
lapsing into the mud-slinging and bickering that so annoys board
administrations. As with the nation though, the board might note that it
isn't with the institutions or the system that problems lie but with the
individuals running them.
Some participants - take a bow Rashid Latif and Haroon Rasheed - had whole
structures for the game ready. Majid Khan arrived, armed with a lengthy
verbal thesis overhauling the game and promptly left, having had his say.
The most telling snippet emerged from the seasoned mind of veteran
journalist (and by his own admission, veteran workshop attendee) Gul
Hameed Bhatti, who reminded the board that their duty was to
facilitate not regulate. Promisingly, the chairman agreed.
In the way that all workshops are essentially noble in intent, this was
too. They sound right for everyone wants to better the game. But cynicism
is not misplaced, for very little has ever emerged from such gatherings.
Qamar Ahmed, in a scathing comment in Dawn, noted they are
traditionally little more than podiums for ex-cricketers to angle for
board positions. True enough, on this evidence.
What, if anything, comes out of this only time will tell. Though not
discussed, implementing the constitution is the logical precursor to any
wholesale change and if the chairman can achieve that, where many have
failed, then some skepticism might actually be shed.
Osman Samiuddin is Pakistan editor of Cricinfo