Cricket is my bread and butter

LAHORE:

It is a fact that cricket in Pakistan is a profession and not just a sport and hence those whose livelihoods depend on it, overlook their education to make the most of whatever chance they get. While some reach the highest level, others find the going tough and act their trade as far as the first-class competitions.

Former spinner and current sports administrator Iqbal Qasim understands this but also admits that players’ livelihoods are  threatened pursuing a place in the national side.

“Youngsters from humble backgrounds adopt it as a profession and ignore their education,” Qasim told The Express Tribune. “No doubt cricket is a full-fledged profession but in Pakistan most boys start with the dream of making it to the top but if they fail they’re left with nothing.”

Every year, the number of inductees into first-class cricket rises by 40 per cent, according to research carried out by The Express Tribune. With the game enjoying maximum popularity, around 50,000 full-time players from local clubs are officially registered with their respective associations: A huge figure if one was to consider that only a handful will play for Pakistan in the future.

Qasim, agreeing with the increasing quantity of players each year, believed that transition from first-class cricket was a difficult task. “The quality is going down because the resources are not enough. We have the talent in the country but that needs maturing before it can be thrown at the international level.”

Player opens cricket shop to fill off-season gap

While many talented players fail to complete their journey, some counter the situation by launching their own businesses to fill the off-season gap. Shoaib Khan has similarly opened a cricket shop to earn his bread and butter when there is no cricket.

“Since cricket is my life, a goods shop is the best idea,” the former Pakistan opener told The Express Tribune. “I adopted cricket as full-time profession but things are not going well. I used to go to England to play league cricket during the off-season but those doors have been closed as well.”

Players lack cricket  education too

While formal education is also found wanting, Qasim believed that most players lack the technical expertise in the sport as well.

“One needs to be aware of the knowhow of cricket and well qualified to coach as well,” added Qasim. “In England, these players are employed in schools and academies to train the kids during the off-season.”

If one was to concede Qasim’s point, a first-class cricketer can be formally inducted into the coaching staff and then employed by various schools and academies and according to the off-spinner, the arrangement should be done through the cricket board. This way, he felt, that players can make money during the off-season as well.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 16^th,  2011.