Former Test cricketer Mudassar Nazar has formally submitted his application for the job of Director National Cricket Academy after the Pakistan Cricket Board has waived off the condition of Graduation for the applicant. Earlier, the PCB had given an ad in the national press in which qualification for the Director NCA post was a Graduate. Nevertheless, the PCB violated its own principal of transparency and re-advertised the post to facilitate Mudassar.
In PCB’s view Mudassar is supposed to do miracles in the development of Pakistan cricket – nurturing a lot of talented cricketers at the NCA. The PCB rightly considers that bad performance of Pakistan cricket team at the international level is due to the faulty domestic system and with Mudassar in the NCA it hopes that he would help in grooming future stars for the national team. Reportedly, the PCB has also decided to make NCA an independent institution so that it can nurture a pool of talented cricketers who provide back up support to the national team.
Is Mudassar a right choice? It’s a tricky question. Mudassar with his international cricket career – 76 Tests and 122 ODI’s – and coaching abilities certainly deserves the job. Undoubtedly, he also possessed a sharp cricketing brain during his playing days. Even Imran Khan acknowledged his traits and valued his advice. But those were good old days when Mudassar was alert and energetic. Over the years certain unavoidable circumstances have entirely changed him. I have serious doubts regarding his mental and physical condition that does not qualify him for the demanding post. His late night engagement is the foremost impediment to start his challenging job in the morning. Further his inclination towards ordinary former cricketers, as coaches, would hamper his efforts to train and coach the deserved cricketers. They (coaches) would only go after Sifarishi cricketers and jeopardize his development plans.
Mudassar had already worked as Director Game Development in the NCA during the tenure of Dr. Nasim Ashraf but had failed to contribute in collaboration with two of his favourite coaches Mohsin Kamal and Ali Zia. Coaching capabilities of Mohsin and Ali Zia were badly exposed when they were with the Bangladesh cricket team. Bangladesh Cricket Board had asked PCB to send its two coaches for their national team. Ramiz Raja, then Director of the Board under Lt-Gen ® Tauqir Zia, had recommended Mohsin and Ali Zia where their so-called coaching talent was shamefully exposed. BCB, later, wrote a letter to the PCB complaining against the credentials, behavior and attitude of Mohsin and Ali Zia. The letter, perhaps, never reached the then chairman and they both continued to enjoy their jobs in the NCA. They will be again around Mudassar who thinks them the best coaches. Here I doubt his mental approach which would be harmful for national cricket.
Trio of Mudassar, Mohsin and Ali Zia has already worked together in the NCA without any notable contribution towards the development of Pakistan cricket. Mudassar should himself look into the mirror and decide that if he is capable of doing justice with his job. He should understand the politics of the PCB also which has two separate chairman – a dejuro and a defacto. Mudassar, choice of Shaharyar. Aizad Syed is the man of defacto chairman Najam Sethi and is already working in the NCA as Director Game Development, a post which Mudassar enjoyed in his first stint. A clash is in the offing!