Ijaz Butt refuses to surprise us anymore

Ijaz Butt's latest absurd pronouncement is to name Misbahul Haq as Pakistan’s fourth Test captain of the year.

A leading historian wrote about Henry VIII that in the latter half of his life, he became morbidly obese, his health suffered, his public image was depicted as one of a lustful, egotistical, harsh and insecure king. Fast forward to the current decade, and the description would whole-heartedly fit the supposed king of cricket in Pakistan: Ijaz Butt. He treats Pakistan’s cricket as his kingdom and makes unfathomable decisions, the latest to endorse the absurd pronouncements to name Misbahul Haq as Pakistan’s fourth Test captain of the year.

As this very newspaper reported in July, the recalled batsmen-turned-captain was all set to hang his boots next year. His leadership credentials are restricted to the domestic level, his batting average is less than 34 and, despite making his debut at the turn of the decade, he is yet to feature regularly for Pakistan. Hence, it leaves nothing to the imagination as to why this decision was taken: to keep Younus Khan out of the team and away from captaincy.

However, the board were short on options anyway and I did not see a Ricky Ponting or an MS Dhoni in the ranks. Therefore, only one name came to fray and that was of the out-of-favour Younus who, I think, is not a great leader but the best option Pakistan has right now by a distance. His batting average in comparison to Misbah is much better, he has captained Pakistan before - including the triumphant 2009 World Twenty20 campaign - and was also Inzamamul Haq’s deputy for a few years. Younus is also younger than Misbah which may allow him to be around for longer.

But the whole situation asks the question: what is the PCB chairman doing and thinking? It is pretty evident that he does not put any thought into his judgements and picks according to his likes and dislikes. The consequences are never thought of since he is like a king whose jurisdiction cannot be challenged.

The sudden rise in player-power, scandals and ineffective management are all gifts of the chairman to Pakistan cricket, resulting in mass destruction of every fabric of the game. Misbah’s appointment should be no surprise to anyone who has been following the comedy of errors. Butt single-handedly made blunders which an army cannot make in unison.

The chairman’s sins and of his cronies are like Lady Macbeth’s, where no amount of purgation is enough but beggars really cannot be choosers. We need to survive the king until the patron-in-chief deems otherwise. Until then, the game will continue to suffer.

The writer is Asia’s first female cricket commentator and a television analyst.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 10^th, 2010.