After defending Pakistan as a cricketing nation on Kersi Meher-Homji’s recent piece entitled Are The Pakistan Cricket Controversies Really Justified, I thought I would give a short overview of the makeup of the ACLT20 teams by nationality*.
South Africa – 22%
Australia – 18%
India – 16%
England – 13%
West Indies – 10%
New Zealand – 9%
Sri Lanka – 9%
Netherlands – 1%
Ireland – 1%
Pakistan – 1%
(*Note: where players haven’t played internationally, and are playing in a country other than that of their birth, I have designated them to their country of birth, unless it was stated otherwise on Cricinfo)
So what should truly be an international tournament, where the best teams from around the world have been invited to compete for a huge purse, a tournament which has players born as far afield as Portugal and Malaysia contains as many Dutch and Irish national team players as Pakistani’s.
How can this be?
How can they have one representative at the inaugural Airtel Champions Trophy T20? How can a team which has been playing T20 for years at a domestic level (not first class at grade level) and after winning a World Cup in the format not four months ago, have one man – a man who at the age of 27 can boast just 3 Test, 11 ODI and 5 Twenty20 caps – represent them at such an event?
Pakistan is a huge nation.
Its population of more than 170 million is more than England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and the West Indies combined. And cricket is by far the most popular sport in the nation.
Still, they have less representatives than every other nation.
Their national team currently has such talented players as Younis Kahn, Mohammed Yousuf, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Umar Gul, and, of course, Shoaib Akhtar. Yet this CLT20 will see players with a handful of first class games from nations where domestic first class cricket is comparatively weak, such as New Zealand and Sri Lanka, gracing the fields, being watched by television audiences of many millions.
The Habib Bank Limited team (HBL) has no fewer than five internationals, including Pakistan captain Younis Kahn, on their books and would be as stiff competition as Otago or Wayamba.
Of course, the lack of players is in part due to the Mumbai bombings. Since then, IPL owners have been reluctant to have Pakistan players in their squads.
But why aren’t more of them playing in other domestic competitions?
Why don’t Tasmania for example – a state not generally blessed with talent – bring in Pakistan cricketers? Or the South Africans?
The ICC needs to stop worrying about Kenya and Bangladesh, two nations hardly blessed with talent and with relatively little infrastructure, and get the West Indies and Pakistan back on the international cricketing map.
It can’t be too long before the domestic teams come knocking on Pakistan doors.
Dave1
Guest
There is no conspiracy for Australian teams not to play Pakistanis. Both Western Australia and South Australia played Pakistanis in last years twenty/20.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
The Champions League "owners" are the Cricket Boards of India,South Africa and Australia...this was formulated without the ECB's input as the ECB was being suckered by Stanford. And both SA and CA are not about to include Pakistani players in a hurry. So in the end it is about India...not necessarily a good thing...but then it is upto CA and SAC to stand up to the "boss"
Freud of Football
Roar Guru
Indeed Vinay, Aameer is a gun but this isn't about India. The Champions League T20 competition doesn't belong to India and there are plenty of teams that could have Pakistani's in them but don't.
Vinay Verma
Roar Guru
Gentlemen...there is no simple answer...." India is a State that has an army,Pakistan is an Army that has a state" (India's communications Minister). As a result of the Mumbai attack the Pakistan Government stopped their players participating in the second IPL,The IPL responded by cancelling the contracts. I would like to see Pakistan Cricket prosper. I would also like to see a meaningful dialogue between India and Pakistan..free fom the innuoendo and misinformation...the recent stories in some Indan Papers on Younus' dropped catch" and "matchfixing" was tabloid journalism at its worst..though the Pakistan Interior Minister did not do his own team any favours,which in turn led to Younus' offer of resignation. Lets conentrate on the coming summer..a fantastic young pacer in Aameer and a legspinning allrounder in Umar Akmal. This Pak team will stretch Australia...but their inexperience will see Australia win comfortably in the end
Dave1
Guest
Afridi won't be playing for WA http://www.watoday.com.au/sport/there-is-no-room-for-afridi-waca-20091013-gvnc.html "....WACA officials deny they have approached controversial Pakistani blaster Shahid Afridi to add further firepower to their Twenty20 side for this season's Big Bash. West Indian captain Chris Gayle has already been confirmed as a star import for the Warriors, and reports from Lahore suggest Afridi had also been approached for a possible stint......"
Dave1
Guest
looks like more irishmen to come http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/133893/Rankin-file-has-Irish-crying-foul "....RANKIN FILE HAS IRISH CRYING FOUL BIG CHANCE: Boyd Rankin has been called into England's Performance Programme CRICKET IRELAND has reacted with dismay at the potential defection of another of their home-grown players to England after promising fast bowler Boyd Rankin was yesterday named by the ECB in their Performance Programme for the winter....."
Freud of Football
Roar Guru
Ed Joyce
Working Class Rugger
Guest
Ireland - 1% Who is/are the Irishmen playing in the T20 CL
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
Brett, In 1960s there was a hit song: "Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets". The modern version is: "Whatever Lalit [Modi] wants, Lalit gets."
Dave1
Guest
What can the ICC do to help? Pakistan’s problems aren’t caused by cricket and cant be fixed by cricket.
Freud of Football
Roar Guru
Viscount, I think you are looking at the political situation in Pakistan a little simplistically. "if Pakistan sorts out its internal politics and cricketing structure, then good things will surely follow", Pakistan has been unstable for decades and from my limited knowledge of the government it appears it will remain so for some time to come. I too don't think they deserve handouts and that wasn't my point but I think the ICC has focused on Bangladesh and Zimbabwe for far too long, tried everything they could to encourage growth of the game in those countries, the devleopment of infrastructure etc etc and it just hasn't worked. Bangladesh may some day be a cricketing nation to rival Sri Lanka or New Zealand but they will never turn into a heavyweight and Zimbabwe has produced some fine cricketers but their political structure is even more volatile than that in Pakistan. I merely think the ICC should focus on developing grassroots cricket in Pakistan and the West Indies. These are two countries where interest in the game is already present, where a history in the sport at the top level is also there, these are the building blocks for the game to grow and they exist but the ICC have chosen other projects and ignored these two cricketing bodies as they have gone from World Cup winners to nothings inside 2-3 decades. Charity isn't what they need, it's structure. Australia and England have been excellent at organising their cricket for over 100 years, India is starting to catch on but Pakistan are in no-man's land.
Dave1
Guest
Sohail Tanvir palyed 20/20 for South Australia last year
Brett McKay
Guest
Viscount that's quite true to a degree, but we all know that what India wants, the cricket world gives them...
Brett McKay
Guest
Kersi, Freud, politics played a massive part as I understand it. I can't back this up either, but I'm quite sure the Pakistan T20 champs were all set to play in the first aborted attempt at the CLT20, but becuase of India's suspicions of Pakistani involvement in the Mumbai attacks (and I don't want to turn this into a poloitcial debate), the CLT20/BCCI organisers basically banned them from competing. Otago, Wayamba and Trinidad & Tobago were brought in to form the 12 team comp after the Pakistan side was left out of the original 10 team format.
Viscount Crouchback
Guest
The Pakistanis need to help themselves. It's all very well Freud writing pious articles about how terribly they are treated but, frankly, most of their problems are of their own making. You've written a lot about "colonialist" and "superior" mindsets lately, Freud, but I would argue that you display the most colonial mindset of all by portraying them as naifs in need of Western charity. They are masters of their own destiny as surely as the Indians are masters of theirs - and if Pakistan sorts out its internal politics and cricketing structure, then good things will surely follow. I wish them luck - but it's their task, not ours.
Kersi Meher-Homji
Guest
An astute observation, Freud of Football. I agree that it is a mystery that the reigning champs of ICC World T20 has only 1% representation in ACLT20 being played now. The only explanation is that the best DOMESTIC teams from different countries have been selected for ACLT20. And many in the Pakistan domestic teams have ICL players. That means the players are banned and illogically so is the team by ICC. This is only a supposition and may not be a fact. Also politics could have played a part.