Lateef Jafri: Ban on Sohail loss to country's cricket

21 April 1997

Ban on Sohail loss to country's cricket

Lateef Jafri

A second cricket ban of two years on national opening batsman, Aamir Sohail, when an earlier penalisation of one month had just lapsed, has been termed as too harsh by the game's observers. They think that the country and its cricket will be the losers when there is a dearth of organised and experienced openers and Saeed Anwar's fitness is a question mark.

Will Rameez Raja in his decline and at the age 35 be tested again and again? Or will Salim Elahi go through the mill even though he lacks the big-match temperament, ask the enthusiasts of the game? This appears to be a crisis period for the national squad. The injury to the fearful pacer, Waqar Younis, was a hard blow to the side just on the eve of the first Test in Sri Lanka, when captain Wasim Akram had a suspect shoulder. No doubt Mohammad Zahid and Shahid Nazir are fine prospects and have the energy to go on and on, even on unresponsive strips, they do not belong to the class of Wasim and Waqar; neither they are as hardened campaigners as the two renowned Ws. Many are worried that the all-rounder Shahid Afridi, a courageous slogger and a clever spinner, may be shunted out of team for good. He did not get the selectors' nod for the Lankan trip.

There are also reports of differences between Ijaz Ahmad, a forceful stroke-maker, and the board supremo, Majid Khan. If media reports one to be taken as true Majid raised objections to Ijaz taking over the role of Wasim's deputy during the captain's absence from the field in Sharjah. It was Rameez's beat, according to Majid. But why Rameez did not take the initiative, ask the fans of the game who feel that Ijaz has the wrist leverage to score at a fast pace confidently, be it a Test match or a one-dayer.

Will Salim Malik be able to retain his place in the outfit with the daily allegations of match-fixing and bribery directed against him? Where will be the balance and strength in the conglomerate, the puzzled cricket lovers want to know? Already Rashid Lateef, a vigorous hitter of the ball and a quick stumper, and Basit Ali are not getting their due chance in the squad. Aqib Javed, a talented pacer, too has been forced to sit on the sidelines. Is the Pakistan team being deliberately weakened by the board officialdom? Or a search is going on for fresh blood for the 1999 World Cup, set to be played on the turning wickets of England!

Apparently the first action against Aamir Sohail, whatever may be the explanation of the board's disciplinary panel, was taken on flimsy grounds. If at all the family members of a noted Test and one-day international player are harsly treated in the pavilion of the Qadhafi Stadium he will feel insulted; he will react emotionally. The disciplinary committee of the PCB instead of understanding the sensitive nature of the incident slapped a ban on Sohail of one month, a short one but still it disallowed him to take part in any cricketing activity. As soon as the first ban had run its course the same two members ÷ the third member of the committee abstained from the deliberations of the panel though he reportedly concurred with the nature of the penalisation ÷ asked the cricketer to appear before them for questioning. The charge: violating the code of conduct for publicly levelling some allegations which degraded the team and tarnished the image of the country. The allegations of betting and match fixing are not new; they are finding space in the print media for the last few years. Certainly the foreign critics are whipping up a campaign against Pakistan cricket and creating doubts over its strength and credibility.

Even Javed Burki during his tenure as chairman of the ad hoc committee, after having seen the documents at the ICC headquarters at Lord's, had acknowledged its seriousness and had promised to take severe action against the cricketers in this nefarious game, which reportedly had its beginning in the home series against Australin (1994-95). The rumours of match-fixing were even rife during Pakistan's February 1995 tour of Zimbabwe. Burki did not initiate any steps for investigation and action but recently made a complete U-turn by denying that he had expressed any such opinion. The disciplinary committee, while making known its verdict, insisted that the Test all-rounder should have provided proof of his charges. The board, the committee felt, cannot take action just on complaints; they had to be substantiated with proof. Aamir Sohail, while sticking to his stand, was of the view that he had submitted the needed documentary evidence to the Ministry of Sports, to which the disciplinians had their reservations. Besides they were not asked by the Ministry to stop the process of probe.

The opening batsman, having served the country to the best of his ability, termed the board panel's decision "an act of victimisation." He will be out of action upto April 1999, the cut-off date for selection to the next World Cup squad. Being caught in the whirlpool of bias, will he be considered for the national side?

Many veteran cricketers, organisers and analysts feel that making public statements and maligning the team-mates comes under the mischief of code of conduct. The charges should have been detailed in a proper manner, if at all the board was to take up the issue for a thorough probe and inquiry. However, they are of the view that though betting and gambling had their origin from the days that cricket started as a recreative pursuit in the village green of England, it has become an international phenomenon nowadays. The cartels are active in major Indian cities, Sharjah, England, Australia and the Caribbean islands. However, throwing of the ties and match-fixing as addenda to the international gambling and betting are new evils which cannot but be condemned.

The Australians Tim May, Shane Warne and Mark Waugh had complained against the offer of bribe by Salim Malik, then captaining Pakistan in the matches on the Australian tour of this country (1994-95 season) but Mr Justice Fakhruddin G. Ebrahim, a former Supreme Court Judge, forming a one-man inquiry committee, wanted the Australians to give evidence before him. The complainants refused to turn up and the whole case crumbled.

The disease was infectious. The corruption later spread to Zimbabwe while the Pakistanis were on tour there under the leadership of Salim Malik. Even though the Zimbabweans recorded their first surprise victory in a Test against Pakistan (February 1995) and voices were raised against match-fixing and a case of a repetition of bribery no notice was taken by the Pakistani board. As recent as this month the bookies were active in Sharjah and there were doubts that results in the round-robin stage of the triangular, if not in the final, were fabricated. If the Pakistan Cricket Board is not going to launch a full-scale inquest under neutral personages viz retired members of the higher judiciary, will the Government of Pakistan step in to start an inquiry of their own into this malaise and try to scotch this element from the body of Pakistan cricket.

The severe action against Aamir Sohail, right or wrong, should goad the Government into action and it should do what the board has failed to do to save Pakistan's cricket from further infamy.

It is not known if Sohail will make an appeal to the Chief Executive of the PCB. Though the disciplinary committee considers itself to be autonomous the Test cricketer may yet move a prayer to the higher tiers of the board, the Executive Council and the General Body, which may go into the matter in an objective way.

Former Test captains, cricketers and others have been saddened by the ban on Aamir Sohail. Hanif Mohammad, known throughout the world for his cricket exploits, considers the action as too severe. A fine may have been sufficient.

Intikhab Alam, former captain and manager, said Sohail was a little bit hot-tempered but that was a challenge for the management to handle. On the whole Intikhab found him to be a team-man, a fighter to the core, a quality player, the career of whom scintillates as an opening batsman and a shrewd spinner.

Some have pointed to the misdemeanours of Brian Lara, Dennis Lillee and Ian Botham. Lara still is playing the role of an Eminent Grise for the West Indies while Botham and Lillee gave their full value to the English and Australian teams.

One expects the PCB panel to have a second look at its action and give a chance to Aamir Sohail, a daring and valiant batsman, to serve the national squad as well as he had continued to do.

Source:: Dawn (https://xiber.com/dawn/)