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The ICC, cricket’s governing body, has been a basket-case for nearly two decades. But that’s about to dramatically change with the appointment of Zaheer Abbas as the incoming president.
The 67-year-old Pakistani batting legend will do a great a job for cricket in his new job, as he did for his country in the middle.
I first met the elegant stroke-maker on the 1971-72 Rest of the World tour that replaced the cancelled South African tour after the Boks’ tension-filled rugby tour of Australia in the winter of 1971 over apartheid.
That Rest of the World tour was not only full of interest, but the touring side was an excitement machine.
Zaheer was one of three Pakistanis in the side, with vice-captain Intikhab Alam and paceman Asif Masood.
The West Indies presented skipper Gary Sobers, Rohan Kanhai, and Clive Lloyd.
South Africa were represented by Graeme and Peter Pollock, with opening batsman Hylton Ackerman.
England had four: Tony Greig on his first tour, Richard Hutton, son of Sir Leonard, keeper Bobby Taylor, and spinner Norman Gifford, with Bob Cunis the sole Kiwi.
Incidentally, legendary English radio commentator John Arlott caused a stir when he described Cunis “As a bowler, like his name, he was neither one thing or the other”.
Zaheer returned the next season with Pakistan and on the opening day of the first Test at Adelaide, he tried to hook expressman Jeff Thomson, got a top edge, and both Alan Turner and Thommo went for the spooned catch but collided heavily, leaving Thommo with a severely dislocated right shoulder.
After arguing with the team doctor that “There won’t be any f***** hardware in my shoulder”, his injury was pinned and he was out of action for months.
Zaheer showed on both those tours of Australia he was a quality stroke-maker, averaging 44.79 in his career, although he was a more successful ODI batsman, averaging 47.62.
More importantly, Zaheer will bring his vast international experience to the ICC chair, along with his communication skills.
That’s a change from the norm.
Before Sir Colin Cowdrey became the first president of the ICC in 1997, the job was done by the secretary of the MCC – whoever that was at the time.
Rank amateurs running international cricket.
Sir Clyde Walcott took over from Sir Colin until 2003. But then there were nine presidents with not one of them even a first-class cricketer, let alone an international.
There was one crazy vote for the ICC presidency in 2008 between England’s David Morgan and India’s Shawad Pawar that ended in a tie.
So what did the ICC do?
Morgan and Pawar agreed to split the four-year term, so Morgan was president from 2008-2010, and Pawar, with no further vote, took over from 2010-2012.
It could only happen in cricket.
Thankfully Zaheer Abbas will change all that, and cricket will be the beneficiary. At long last.