Tauqir Zia must stay

A few months ago, when the PCB Chairman offered to leave office, Pakistani cricket fans wanted him to stay for the simple reason they wanted Pakistan cricket to be set right rather than an easy exit by its boss.

Now, after the team's dismal performance in the World Cup there is hue and cry again asking Lt Gen Tauqir Zia to move out. I think this will add to the current catastrophe in Pakistan cricket.

My rationale is that its the players who should be held responsible because they are the ones who are the professionals being remunerated to perform for their country and they are the ones who go out there to do battle on the ground. It is not the coach, manager or the chairman who is liable for the acts of players on the ground. It's a job, ('naukri'), you do work and get paid.

The next question that arises is what is the players' job description? A simplistic but true answer would be to perform 100% for their team and aim to prevail in every single match and if they do lose, then suffer a dignified defeat fighting to the last man.

Sadly, the Pakistan team was found lacking in these areas over the last two years. The only mistake made by the PCB chairman was he succumbed to the desires of senior players thinking this would extract the best out of them for the country. Unfortunately, he misread the motive of the senior players and of some of his own advisors. There is a long list of illogical decisions, starting from the ouster of a prodigy, the man who has always been called the 'saviour of Pakistan cricket', Javed Miandad as coach after every successful stint, to the princely behavior in creating a 'problem child', Shoaib Akhtar. The provision of staunch support in trying to extract the most out of Akhtar, sometimes even at the expense of the rest of the team, made a mockery of discipline. Such decisions though meant in good faith could not dilute or 'win over' the seniors and thus all these good intentions of the chairman were thwarted.

Much has been said and written about the suitability or un-suitability of ex-coach Richard Pybus, who is now being unfairly blamed by the players after he declared that the team of individuals did not want to learn or work hard. Don't forget this is the same Richard Pybus whose appointment was demanded by the same players and they were successful in getting him installed after Miandad was removed.

Interestingly, the senior players whose services are no longer required, at least for the time being, have decided not to retire thus creating a front against the PCB. Their motive is straightforward, being aware that the PCB Chairman will not tolerate them any more they see their future in his removal, hoping to garner public support to help get back in.

I am no great fan of having a non-technical person at the helm but still feel that removal or resignation of Tauqir Zia at this stage would be disastrous for Pakistan Cricket. Moreover, some quarters in Pakistan cricket are calling for Imran Khan to be made chairman; this is yet another escape route for some of the senior players who are closely associated with the former captain. Imran, one of the greats of Pakistan cricket cannot `own' all his success and the 1992 World Cup victory; he owes much to Javed Miandad who throughout his career, and Imran's captaincy, continued to make possible so many impossibles and played a key role to make Pakistan World Champs, a decade ago.

Tauqir Zia has moved and taken the right step in the appointment of Javed Miandad as coach and one hopes, this time he will be there till World Cup 2007 in West Indies.

The new management, Miandad, Haroon Rashid and skipper Rashid Latif should be given full authority over all team affairs. Haroon Rashid is a good disciplinarian and a thorough gentleman.

As for the team, I feel at this time Rashid Latif fully deserves a place in the side and there is no point in experimenting with Taufeeq as a `keeper/batsman, which may well ruin his career as a batsman. Youhana should be a strong contender for leading the side to the next mega-event in 2007 and should be groomed under Latif and Miandad for now. Youhana can command respect as he is the main batsman of the new unit. As an opener, Saeed Anwar should make way for the livelier Imran Nazir so that a combination of Taufeeq Umar and Imran Nazir can be groomed. Shahid Afridi should be dropped until he proves he has changed into a more responsible batsman by performing in domestic cricket as anyone can come out and hit occasional sixes.

Imran Khan has said recently that Muddasar Nazar is a superior choice as team coach, one fails to grasp the rationale of this thought, perhaps caused by some past problems between the two. Here I would like readers to recall a decade old incident when Muddasar was with the team as manager and four of our players including the captain and vice-captain spent a night behind bars on marijuana allegations. We don't want any unsavoury incidents or more scandals, now that we are planning to nurture youngsters for 2007.

Miandad, on the other, hand has an untainted career spanning over two decades. Winning for Pakistan has always been his only agenda and time and again he accepted stepping down from captaincy to accommodate Imran and to avoid a tussle in the team for the interest of Pakistan cricket He has again accepted the position as coach even after being removed in a shabby manner, all this for the interest of the nation, not for money.

It is high time PCB shuts its doors to the players' whims, unjust demands and wielding of 'power' or politics. A glance at recent news about a star like Shane Warne should suffice; it is ample proof that no one is bigger than the game and discipline is supreme. One hopes the PCB Chairman can make every player a true ambassador of the nation, and they will bring back some of the lost pride in Sharjah.

So, the best and only choice at the moment seems that Lt Gen Tauqir Zia should carry on and see the job through.

Ed: If readers wish to correspond with the author, please email Khawer Rabbani