Changing captains

The removal of Shahid Afridi as captain for the coming one-day series against Ireland and Zimbabwe seems to mark a fit of pique on the part of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Such maverick action has been seen before from the likes of Mr Ijaz Butt and his men. Indeed, to be fair, previous board managements have been guilty of exactly the same kind of behaviour. The question we must ask in this case is why has Afridi been removed at all, and why has there been no real explanation as to what is going on? The main seam of belief focuses on the idea that Afridi has been punished for his sometimes honest media statements, notably those criticising team selection and implying disagreement with coach Waqar Younis. This would not appear to be a very serious offence, even if Afridi did not respond to the notice served to him.

There is a moot point here. The purpose of both the PCB and those that make up the team is, of course, to bring maximum honours for Pakistan. This can happen only if there is a spirit of cooperation between them, a readiness and a willingness to work together — as a unit committed to a single interest. If this does not happen there can be no hope of performing well or earning victories on the field. This is especially true in the case of Pakistan which most all needs consistency of performance and the spirit of unity. During the World Cup, there had been some indications that Pakistan was beginning to come together as a team capable of living up to its full potential under Afridi. His sudden removal from the captaincy will not serve this purpose at all. It seems then that the PCB is willing to put small matters of pride and little issues of prejudice ahead of all else. This trend somehow has to be stopped and the cricketing affairs of the nation have to be conducted on a strictly professional basis so that the regular episodes of infighting that we see between various elements in Pakistan cricket can be brought to an end.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 23^rd, 2011.