It has certainly been an interesting week or so for me, by any measure. After a narrow loss in the Canada 20/20 final to Sri Lanka, I returned to Lahore to be met by more than 40 journalists and TV cameras at the Alama Iqbal airport. You would have been excused for thinking that we had just lost the World Cup, or a series to India, not a four day bash and biff-a-thon on the North American continent.
The first question from the Daily Jang (Urdu daily paper, circulation about 20 million) was from a journo who had been aggressive enough to barge his way, Blocker Roach-like to the front of melee: “Why did you lose the final to Sri Lanka?”
Now, questions of that in-depth nature are looking for a smart arse response, so badly had it been thought through, if any thought process was used at all.
“They made more runs than we did.”
At this trite answer, the journo smiled, nodded in knowing agreement and we went on to the next probing insight.
The media throng greeted our return for a number of reasons.
Firstly, this is Pakistan. There is an unbridled passion for the game and 170 million people want to know something, anything about their national team. It certainly doesn’t have to have any trace of reality to it.
Cricket specifically represents the nation to the rest of the world in a different light to the other well-known Pakistani phenomena, such as the Taliban, terrorism and the Bhuttos.
Pakistan has few ways to express itself positively on the international stage. Much in the same way as, since Federation, Australia built an international recognition on the feats of multifarious sporting identities.
Despite any number of notable scientists, entertainers and businesspeople, it is mainly sport that still carries the torch for our Down Under nation’s global reputation. And certainly over the last 120 years, it has been cricket’s battle against our colonial master that gave Australians an identity they could call their own.
The Anzac spirit in defiance of British arrogance and indifference became a milestone multiplier, as had Spofforth’s match-winning stuff at the Oval in 1882.
Hence the intense degree of attention Pakistan cricket receives internally.
The fact that several major international sporting teams will not come to Pakistan (and that is not just cricket, the Australian Hockey team boycotted the World Championships in July 2007 well before Australian cricket pulled the plug), means that the fans are starved of top-class cricket, the game they have extraordinary interest for.
With all due respects to Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, who have least had the vision and commonsense to have a realistic view of the security issues at cricket venues in Pakistan.
With boycotts and scheduling, Pakistan will not play a Test match anywhere in the world between mid-December 2007 and the India tour in mid-January, 2009.
It is no wonder that a thousand press representatives turn up to dissect a 20/20 gig!
They are starved of the game.
Sadly, the dominos that proceeded to crash after Asif Ali Zardari’s PPP came to power on February 18th (after some haggling with the PML [N]), land heavily on the most scrutinized of national organizations: the PCB.
New government, new President, new Patron of Pakistan cricket (the President ), new Chairman (not elected, but appointed because he has friends in the new government: his brother-in-law is the Minister for Defense), new senior management, including team management where a 74 year-old has taken over, and new coach.
It is yet to be seen if there will be a new captain, as well. It is highly rumoured that the young, talented and improving Shoaib Malik will not retain his job after the Abu Dhabi ODI series in mid-November.
The new coach is 67 years-old and looks to be suffering from Parkinsons, the new Chairman 75.
Out with the new and in with the very old.
It is such a waste.
The one silver lining has been the appointment of new selectors, young and capable. I hope they can resist the local political pressure that permeate all things in Pakistan.
It will take strong will and complete media myopia on their part to do so.
At this moment, there is a young, keen squad of players who have been soaking up the knowledge and discipline they need to be a top international team.
The potential is there, but as the super coach Jack Gibson so famously opined, “Potential never won nothing.”
I sincerely hope they have can continue to prosper in an environment that is more akin to Partition than the 21st Century.
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