The writer is sports in charge at
The Express Tribune
Since Iqbal Qasim’s resignation last year, no less than three cricketing icons have taken over the post and left for varying reasons without selecting even a single team between them! Former captain Rashid Latif joins his teammates of the 90s –– Moin Khan (the outgoing head coach) and Aamir Sohail as the newest member of the non-selecting chief selectors club. And while Moin and Sohail were sent packing, Latif declined to join the board after failing to reach a consensus with the management on a variety of issues.
Latif conveyed his decision merely days before a scheduled meeting with Chairman Najam Sethi; the question is what went so horribly wrong, all of a sudden? Latif, a man with a no-nonsense approach and an impeccable record in promotion of cricketing talent, was an ideal choice for the crucial post, considering the work he has done at the grass-roots level over the years.
The Karachi based wicket-keeper batsman has been running the Rashid Latif Cricket Academy (RLCA) in the city for more than a decade now. The academy has broadened its operations over the years; most cricketing nurseries of the city have at least one RLCA ground.
Latif had shared a comprehensive plan on restructuring cricket, besides proposing some innovative policies for the betterment of the game. The plan, submitted by the 37-Test veteran a few days after he had agreed to serve the board, also included suggestions on nurturing and harnessing the talent through a proper and uncluttered process.
The former glove-man had earmarked long-term goals and targets, too, in his plan, but the PCB reportedly did not respond to the suggestions made by Latif. The word is that Latif and the PCB also did not see eye-to-eye on the selection of the selection panel; both parties had reservations on a couple of names, yet they had hoped to reach an amicable solution. But the 45-year old was reportedly incensed by the Board brushing aside the recommendations he had made in his restructuring plan.
The file was apparently confined only to gather dust in the offices of the chairman and the chief operating officer. At the same time, cricket fans had hoped for some stability and patience from Latif; many had pinned their hopes of a revolution on the street fighter who has the unique distinction of being the whistle-blower of the match fixing scandals of the 90s. Perhaps he could have waited a few days, started his tenure and gauged things first-hand before throwing in the towel.
He is a revered man who has continued to serve cricket and produce players even a decade after the premature end to his international career. Since the defeat to the West Indies in the WorldTwenty20, the PCB has been contemplating reforms in the infrastructure and preparing to bring in a new ‘vision’ to steer the ship in the right direction. But the new vision, it seems, cannot be put in place before getting rid of age-old practices and practitioners.
It seems that Sethi’s operation clean-up and dreams of removing the ‘rottenness’ of domestic cricket in the country remain a challenging task, to put it mildly. He would need to dig in deep and get stakeholders like Latif on board; the red-tapism and power struggle that only corrupts the system needs to end and for that, some tough decisions are to be made. The chairman has already made a pledge in this regard; the focus has to be on the execution of that pledge.
Pakistan cricket has a few days to put its own house in order. This barren international cricket period needs to be utilised by putting in place long term, sustainable strategies that will shape the future of our biggest passion. Perhaps repackaging the chief selector’s slot can be the first step in that direction.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 11th, 2014.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ