David Morgan, ICC President, and Chief Executive, Haroon Lorgat, hold a press conference after an ICC board meeting in Dubai.—AP
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has finally woken up from a deep slumber to send a legal notice to the International Cricket Council (ICC), challenging the world governing body’s verdict of depriving Pakistan of its 2011 World Cup hosting rights.
With its belated move, the PCB has finally addressed the feelings of tens of millions of cricket fans in and outside the country who have been deeply hurt by the arbitrary move of the ICC.
The board, according to Chairman Ijaz Butt, has filed its case against the unfair, discriminatory and legally flawed judgment by the ICC in the April 17-18 meeting in Dubai.
The international cricket scenario, in the last 12 months or so, does not give any encouraging sign for the future of Pakistan cricket.
Since March last year Pakistan, apart from the latest World Cup setback, has lost as many as four international contests that were scheduled to be staged on its soil including series against Australia, India and New Zealand (to be held later this year) and the ICC Champions Trophy, all falling victims to ‘security concerns’.
Pakistan’s axing as the host country of the 2011 spectacle has two serious aspects to it. First is the double standards, so blatantly practised by the game’s global authorities, and the second is the PCB’s unprofessional, laidback approach that contributed greatly to the fiasco which saw Pakistan deprived of the worth it duly merits as a frontline cricketing nation.
The ICC, it is now becoming exceedingly clear, is a governing body that is functioning under the ‘influence’ of some powerful cricket boards instead of working for the development of the game in an impartial manner.
Following principles, logic as well as building harmony among the nations by giving them fair opportunities in the game should be the prime objectives of a world governing body of the game which it has sadly not adhered to.
On one hand, a country like Zimbabwe is kept away from Test cricket for several years, merely because of a few controversial political figures in that region while on the other, the ICC chooses to look the other way as Australia continue their England tour after the July 7, 2005 bombings in London.
The Champions Trophy is taken away from Pakistan owing to security worries but the world governing body, quite amazingly, keeps mum when around 70 people are massacred in a Jaipur bomb blast during the Indian Premier League (May 2008).
The criteria for judging Pakistan, which organised a highly successful Asia Cup in 2008, it seems is entirely different and smacks of bias. Why else would a country be deprived of World Cup matches with over two years to go for the extravaganza?
To make a case here, even India is infested by decades-long insurgencies and which recently prompted the authorities to shift the glamorous IPL contest to South Africa — although on the pretext of general elections.
However, it is felt by many critics and players that the ICC views India with a ‘very different eye’ to make it the headquarter of the mega event, scheduled in 2011.
Besides, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the two other World Cup co-hosts, have also faced serious security problems over the years. More than 70,000 lives have been lost in Sri Lanka in the last 25 years due to fighting between the government forces and the Tamil Tigers while Bangladesh recently declined to host Pakistan for a limited-overs series owing to a mutiny on their land during March.
The ICC, however, is oblivious to these situations, for reasons best known to it.
Coming to the PCB’s role in this entire episode, it has been deplorable to say the least. It is a famous saying that individuals shape organisations. The manner in which the leaders or think-tank of an organisation plan and carry out actions is reflected in its growth and stability.
In the case of PCB, many unwarranted statements from its top officials indicate their unwillingness to pursue or take up Pakistan’s case vociferously at the world forum.
They seem more than eager to shift Pakistan’s home competitions to away or neutral venues which, one reckons, could have been a key factor in convincing the ICC to take the unpleasant decision regarding Pakistan in the Dubai meeting.
Astonishingly, even after the setback of the World Cup matches being taken away, there have been sporadic reports in the media saying Pakistan is ready to play its ‘home’ games in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
While they should express their deepest gratitude to both the UAE venues for their exceptional cooperation in holding the Pakistan-Australia series successfully, the Pakistan cricket organisers should never forget that their first priority is to make utmost efforts to revive the game at home.
Former ICC president Ehsan Mani’s comment that India is behind Pakistan’s exclusion from the list of Cup hosts is yet another eye-opener. The PCB’s ‘overly optimistic’ expectations from the BCCI in the last few years have failed to bring any substantial result in favour of Pakistan cricket.
While our board gave an overwhelming backing to the BCCI over the contentious ICL issue by compromising the fundamental interest of several Pakistani players, the Indian board snubbed the PCB by keeping the Pakistan players away from this year’s IPL edition in South Africa.
According to some reports, the IPL has not even cleared Pakistani players’ payments for the 2008 IPL season. With India giving a cold shoulder to Pakistan as its hosting partner for the World Cup at the ICC meeting, the backers of an ‘Asian bloc’ in cricket should now review their thoughts.
Regrettably, the PCB has made its stand much weaker by consuming more than three weeks in starting the legal proceedings it announced last Saturday against the ICC decision over the 2011 World Cup.
However, with the Court of Arbitration for Sports now also approached by the board, fans in Pakistan are hoping for a positive outcome in the country’s favour at last.
With its belated move, the PCB has finally addressed the feelings of tens of millions of cricket fans in and outside the country who have been deeply hurt by the arbitrary move of the ICC.
The board, according to Chairman Ijaz Butt, has filed its case against the unfair, discriminatory and legally flawed judgment by the ICC in the April 17-18 meeting in Dubai.
The international cricket scenario, in the last 12 months or so, does not give any encouraging sign for the future of Pakistan cricket.
Since March last year Pakistan, apart from the latest World Cup setback, has lost as many as four international contests that were scheduled to be staged on its soil including series against Australia, India and New Zealand (to be held later this year) and the ICC Champions Trophy, all falling victims to ‘security concerns’.
Pakistan’s axing as the host country of the 2011 spectacle has two serious aspects to it. First is the double standards, so blatantly practised by the game’s global authorities, and the second is the PCB’s unprofessional, laidback approach that contributed greatly to the fiasco which saw Pakistan deprived of the worth it duly merits as a frontline cricketing nation.
The ICC, it is now becoming exceedingly clear, is a governing body that is functioning under the ‘influence’ of some powerful cricket boards instead of working for the development of the game in an impartial manner.
Following principles, logic as well as building harmony among the nations by giving them fair opportunities in the game should be the prime objectives of a world governing body of the game which it has sadly not adhered to.
On one hand, a country like Zimbabwe is kept away from Test cricket for several years, merely because of a few controversial political figures in that region while on the other, the ICC chooses to look the other way as Australia continue their England tour after the July 7, 2005 bombings in London.
The Champions Trophy is taken away from Pakistan owing to security worries but the world governing body, quite amazingly, keeps mum when around 70 people are massacred in a Jaipur bomb blast during the Indian Premier League (May 2008).
The criteria for judging Pakistan, which organised a highly successful Asia Cup in 2008, it seems is entirely different and smacks of bias. Why else would a country be deprived of World Cup matches with over two years to go for the extravaganza?
To make a case here, even India is infested by decades-long insurgencies and which recently prompted the authorities to shift the glamorous IPL contest to South Africa — although on the pretext of general elections.
However, it is felt by many critics and players that the ICC views India with a ‘very different eye’ to make it the headquarter of the mega event, scheduled in 2011.
Besides, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the two other World Cup co-hosts, have also faced serious security problems over the years. More than 70,000 lives have been lost in Sri Lanka in the last 25 years due to fighting between the government forces and the Tamil Tigers while Bangladesh recently declined to host Pakistan for a limited-overs series owing to a mutiny on their land during March.
The ICC, however, is oblivious to these situations, for reasons best known to it.
Coming to the PCB’s role in this entire episode, it has been deplorable to say the least. It is a famous saying that individuals shape organisations. The manner in which the leaders or think-tank of an organisation plan and carry out actions is reflected in its growth and stability.
In the case of PCB, many unwarranted statements from its top officials indicate their unwillingness to pursue or take up Pakistan’s case vociferously at the world forum.
They seem more than eager to shift Pakistan’s home competitions to away or neutral venues which, one reckons, could have been a key factor in convincing the ICC to take the unpleasant decision regarding Pakistan in the Dubai meeting.
Astonishingly, even after the setback of the World Cup matches being taken away, there have been sporadic reports in the media saying Pakistan is ready to play its ‘home’ games in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
While they should express their deepest gratitude to both the UAE venues for their exceptional cooperation in holding the Pakistan-Australia series successfully, the Pakistan cricket organisers should never forget that their first priority is to make utmost efforts to revive the game at home.
Former ICC president Ehsan Mani’s comment that India is behind Pakistan’s exclusion from the list of Cup hosts is yet another eye-opener. The PCB’s ‘overly optimistic’ expectations from the BCCI in the last few years have failed to bring any substantial result in favour of Pakistan cricket.
While our board gave an overwhelming backing to the BCCI over the contentious ICL issue by compromising the fundamental interest of several Pakistani players, the Indian board snubbed the PCB by keeping the Pakistan players away from this year’s IPL edition in South Africa.
According to some reports, the IPL has not even cleared Pakistani players’ payments for the 2008 IPL season. With India giving a cold shoulder to Pakistan as its hosting partner for the World Cup at the ICC meeting, the backers of an ‘Asian bloc’ in cricket should now review their thoughts.
Regrettably, the PCB has made its stand much weaker by consuming more than three weeks in starting the legal proceedings it announced last Saturday against the ICC decision over the 2011 World Cup.
However, with the Court of Arbitration for Sports now also approached by the board, fans in Pakistan are hoping for a positive outcome in the country’s favour at last.
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