Cricket Pakistan style is never dull - from the all-round heroics of Imran Khan, the Warne-inspiring leg-spin of Abdul Qadir, the toe-crushing Yorkers of Waqar Younis or the six-hitting prowess of Shahid Afridi, literally propelling wrecking balls through the roofs of county grounds.
On the pitch Pakistan have always been an exciting team consistently picking out young talent, always producing great characters and, although swinging from brilliant to dreadful a little too often, never failing to provide us with entertainment, innovation and thrilling cricket. Every credit must be given to them for beating England so comprehensively in the recent series.
Off the pitch, though, a period of calm is desperately needed. Pakistan Cricket has been mired in scandal - from the forfeit of the 2006 Test to the death of Bob Woolmer to spot-fixing to failed dope tests to a wicket keeper on the run, to name just a few of the stories from the past 6 years. Albert Square has nothing on this.
They hit their lowest point 530 days ago when the spot fixing story first broke. Some were calling for Pakistan to be banned from World Cricket until they could get their house in order. Thankfully, they weren’t isolated and it seems that the beginnings of a house-ordering exercise are underway. Slowly but surely the rebuild is progressing. A sweeping change in personnel has begun to put in place procedures to combat corruption and change the culture from the top down. It's a work in progress but the signs are good. There is genuine optimism surrounding Pakistan. Everyone feels that there has been a change both on and off the field
Organisations are only as good or bad as the people leading them. The improvements, and resulting on-pitch success, could be put down to four key personnel changes.
Subhan Ahmad was appointed Chief Operating Officer of the Pakistan Cricket Board in October 2010 and he has set about the task of rebuilding with insight and efficiency but quietly and without drama or show.
Former PCB Chairman, Ijaz Butt, had become a laughing stock increasingly defensive and prone to making outrageous claims such as his statement after the spot fixing story broke that this was “a conspiracy to defraud Pakistan cricket”.
His replacement is the much more pragmatic, conciliatory Zaka Ashraf - an entirely different character to Butt. He is slowly rebuilding the many bridges burnt by those from the previous administration. He is starting to regain the confidence of the ICC who seem willing to allow Pakistan some time to improve their structures. There's a spirit of partnership emanating from the PCB which is in marked contrast to the defensive 'you're all against us' attitude from recent years. Like all PCB chairmen, Ashraf was appointed by the country's president and there's more than a little hint of nepotism. Ashraf was a school-mate of President Asif Ali Zardari's at Cadet College Petaro in the early 1970s. Ashraf has a history in banking not cricket but that may not necessarily be a bad thing. Early signs are that he is a force for good.
Mohsin Khan was appointed a interim coach after Waqar Younis resigned the post in September last year. Coaching a team to a whitewash victory over the world's number 1 side is an enormous achievement. He clearly has the respect of the squad and it is baffling that he may be replaced by a new coach, Dav Whatmore. There~s an air of calm and a hard work ethic in the Pakistan camp and he must have had more than a small hand in this. It seems odd to run the risk of disrupting that by replacing him.
The fate of former captain Salman Butt is well documented but to take a glass-half-full attitude, his demise may be one of the best things to happen to Pakistan cricket. His replacement, Misbah Ul Haq is leading Pakistan to success through calm pragmatism. It could have been so different. Ten months ago it seemed he may never play international cricket against as he was made the scapegoat for Pakistan's defeat to India in the World Cup semi-final. Misbah is a conservative captain. He's not showy or glamorous. His laidback exterior should not be misconstrued though. This is a very astute man who knows how to get the best out of this bunch of players. Misbah~s record as captain speaks for itself. He has led his to team to series wins over New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and England ~ not to forget a draw with South Africa ~ and just the anomaly of a 1-1 scoreline against West Indies. Whilst his conservatism may not please everyone, he is undoubtedly the right man to be leading Pakistan at this point.
It is, of course, terribly sad that security remains a real problem in Pakistan and that they continue to be unable to play in front of home crowds, never really benefiting from home advantage like the other Test nations. Maybe though, there's a small positive to take from this. Being permanently on the road has led to them bonding as a close unit who may be shielded from too much influence of the wrong type back at home. For much more than cricketing reasons, we all hope for safer times in Pakistan. Sadly, though, this seems a way off.
With these four men in place and an improvement in the structures and policies and culture, the future looks very bright. Pakistan mustn't be complacent though. There are still a number of issues to be tackled. Political interference remains a key concern, there's still a lack of full transparency and democracy. But the transformation has begun and with the right men in place, a period of stability in leadership and the support of the International cricket community, the rebuilding process will go on and on.
Source:http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/cricket/test-matches/england-whitewash-marks-pakistans-return-680300
On the pitch Pakistan have always been an exciting team consistently picking out young talent, always producing great characters and, although swinging from brilliant to dreadful a little too often, never failing to provide us with entertainment, innovation and thrilling cricket. Every credit must be given to them for beating England so comprehensively in the recent series.
Off the pitch, though, a period of calm is desperately needed. Pakistan Cricket has been mired in scandal - from the forfeit of the 2006 Test to the death of Bob Woolmer to spot-fixing to failed dope tests to a wicket keeper on the run, to name just a few of the stories from the past 6 years. Albert Square has nothing on this.
They hit their lowest point 530 days ago when the spot fixing story first broke. Some were calling for Pakistan to be banned from World Cricket until they could get their house in order. Thankfully, they weren’t isolated and it seems that the beginnings of a house-ordering exercise are underway. Slowly but surely the rebuild is progressing. A sweeping change in personnel has begun to put in place procedures to combat corruption and change the culture from the top down. It's a work in progress but the signs are good. There is genuine optimism surrounding Pakistan. Everyone feels that there has been a change both on and off the field
Organisations are only as good or bad as the people leading them. The improvements, and resulting on-pitch success, could be put down to four key personnel changes.
Subhan Ahmad was appointed Chief Operating Officer of the Pakistan Cricket Board in October 2010 and he has set about the task of rebuilding with insight and efficiency but quietly and without drama or show.
Former PCB Chairman, Ijaz Butt, had become a laughing stock increasingly defensive and prone to making outrageous claims such as his statement after the spot fixing story broke that this was “a conspiracy to defraud Pakistan cricket”.
His replacement is the much more pragmatic, conciliatory Zaka Ashraf - an entirely different character to Butt. He is slowly rebuilding the many bridges burnt by those from the previous administration. He is starting to regain the confidence of the ICC who seem willing to allow Pakistan some time to improve their structures. There's a spirit of partnership emanating from the PCB which is in marked contrast to the defensive 'you're all against us' attitude from recent years. Like all PCB chairmen, Ashraf was appointed by the country's president and there's more than a little hint of nepotism. Ashraf was a school-mate of President Asif Ali Zardari's at Cadet College Petaro in the early 1970s. Ashraf has a history in banking not cricket but that may not necessarily be a bad thing. Early signs are that he is a force for good.
Mohsin Khan was appointed a interim coach after Waqar Younis resigned the post in September last year. Coaching a team to a whitewash victory over the world's number 1 side is an enormous achievement. He clearly has the respect of the squad and it is baffling that he may be replaced by a new coach, Dav Whatmore. There~s an air of calm and a hard work ethic in the Pakistan camp and he must have had more than a small hand in this. It seems odd to run the risk of disrupting that by replacing him.
The fate of former captain Salman Butt is well documented but to take a glass-half-full attitude, his demise may be one of the best things to happen to Pakistan cricket. His replacement, Misbah Ul Haq is leading Pakistan to success through calm pragmatism. It could have been so different. Ten months ago it seemed he may never play international cricket against as he was made the scapegoat for Pakistan's defeat to India in the World Cup semi-final. Misbah is a conservative captain. He's not showy or glamorous. His laidback exterior should not be misconstrued though. This is a very astute man who knows how to get the best out of this bunch of players. Misbah~s record as captain speaks for itself. He has led his to team to series wins over New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and England ~ not to forget a draw with South Africa ~ and just the anomaly of a 1-1 scoreline against West Indies. Whilst his conservatism may not please everyone, he is undoubtedly the right man to be leading Pakistan at this point.
It is, of course, terribly sad that security remains a real problem in Pakistan and that they continue to be unable to play in front of home crowds, never really benefiting from home advantage like the other Test nations. Maybe though, there's a small positive to take from this. Being permanently on the road has led to them bonding as a close unit who may be shielded from too much influence of the wrong type back at home. For much more than cricketing reasons, we all hope for safer times in Pakistan. Sadly, though, this seems a way off.
With these four men in place and an improvement in the structures and policies and culture, the future looks very bright. Pakistan mustn't be complacent though. There are still a number of issues to be tackled. Political interference remains a key concern, there's still a lack of full transparency and democracy. But the transformation has begun and with the right men in place, a period of stability in leadership and the support of the International cricket community, the rebuilding process will go on and on.
Source:http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/cricket/test-matches/england-whitewash-marks-pakistans-return-680300
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