By Syed Intikhab Ali

When all things were flowing smoothly in the right direction and it seemed that international cricket will come back to Pakistan, after successful inauguration of the 2nd PSL in the UAE, two incidents destroyed all prospects.

The alleged involvement of Khalid Latif and Sharjeel Khan in spot-fixing and a suicide attack in Lahore in front of Punjab Assembly shook the entire process.

The PCB tried its best but there are things that it can’t control.

The eighty plus years old Shaharyar Khan and seventy plus Najam Sethi can talk wonderfully, but both the elderly persons could not have imagined such a situation that we are in right now.

Former test cricketer Shoaib Muhammad said while talking to this scribe that the recent happenings in PSL were the result of past decisions about spot-fixing convicts of the past.

He said that when situation demanded bold actions against culprits the PCB took a soft stand.

“They (PCB) said that there is zero tolerance policy for corruption. But a number of people involved in illegal activities are playing cricket regularly. Where is the zero tolerance policy?” Muhammad said.

He added that it was time to take strong action to stop the menace. “Otherwise we cannot come out of this situation and our cricket will be destroyed,” he said.

He also did not favour the idea to organise the PSL final in Lahore. “One match will not revive international cricket here,” he said.

Sethi and Shaharyar are trying to manage the image of PSL and they are successful to some extent, but as far as revival of international cricket in Pakistan is concerned, how can Sethi leave the decision to innocent, cricket-crazy Pakistanis!”

He said sending two cricketers back to the country was the correct decision, however.

Pakistan’s former fast bowler Jalaluddin said: “We have suffered a great loss. Both the spot-fixing scandal and the Lahore attack have damaged our cricket prospects,” he said.

Jalal said that it seemed that PCB alone cannot handle this situation. “All institutions, including law enforcement agencies, will have to sit together to find a solution.

“The Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is the patron in chief of PCB. He must take the policy decision. From day one PCB has been making mistakes. We informed them and cricket enthusiasts through media regularly about their wrong decisions, but to no avail.

“The PCB always patronized those whose careers were already tainted and even those who have been declared culprits in inquiries. They have been appointed on responsible positions.”

Jalal mentioned that the impractical approach cannot work in such circumstances. He said that PCB high officials would not be able to decide whether the final of the PSL will be played in Lahore. “They cannot say if foreign players will be ready to play final in Lahore.

“They are ready to organize the final here but how can PCB guarantee that all things will be normalized? It is time the government came forward and took bold decisions.

“When more than 10 people have been killed, 80 injured in the heart of Lahore, what would be the benefit of the final? Who can enjoy cricket in such a situation!

“The PCB should concentrate on inquiries against cricketers allegedly involved in spot fixing and make the reports public and take stern action.”

After the Pakistan Cricket Team’s assignments for the year 2016 and the beginning of 2017 which commenced with the New Year Test in Australia and the ODIs and the truncated (thanks to the ridiculous scheduling by the PCB) One Day Regional tournament in Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Karachi.

Because of the extremely cold and inclement weather in the north at least 10 of the “league” matches had to be abandoned without a ball being delivered. Sanity prevailed at last and the semi finals and final were shifted to the more balmy and salubrious climes of Karachi.

Briefly put it can be said that 2016 has been a goodish year for Pakistan Test Cricket. The series against England contrary to all predictions and expectations was a roaring success. Watched by full houses (it was an absolute delight and utter joy to watch almost 20000 to 25000 thousand spectators jamming the stands in the smallish English grounds) at all four venues it restored Pakistan’s image which had been badly mauled in 2010.

The players played brilliantly and behaved impeccably both on and off the field. There was not a single instance when a Pakistan player was “accused” of misconduct on the field under the strict ICC regulations. The referees had a relaxed time.

Off the field they behaved so well that the five strong Media Team led by the PCB Chairman were never put to test or into an embarrassing situation.  The series ended 2-2. England winning at Birmingham and Manchester and Pakistan winning in London on the north and south side of the River Thames at Lord’s and the Oval.

Pakistan squeezed past India to claim the Numero Uno position in the ICC test rankings and sometime later Misbah was presented the mace for this achievement. The team made every Pakistani proud. There was nothing but praise and admiration from the English media and public. It had been a good idea by the PCB to send the squad three weeks early to get acclimatized. This move did pay dividends.

West Indies, in spite of smarting under pressure of their board and other matters, at “home” in UAE offered resistance after the loss of the first two Tests. They hit back with a grand five wicket victory at Sharjah to really shake the confidence of the World No. 1 Test Team which Pakistan had become during their successes in England. Shaken and bruised by that defeat Pakistan made heavy weather of their tour of New Zealand.

It was difficult and taught some stiff lessons to our players when Willaimson and his Black Caps handed a 2-0 defeat to the Pakistani batsmen who did not have a clue of how to deal with the speed, swerve, seam and swing of Boult, Southee, Grandhomme, and Wagner. The bowlers were punished by debutant Rawal, Williamson, Latham and Taylor. This series defeat also dethroned them from No. 1 ranking with India winning match after match on their tailor made spinning pitches at home and regaining the top slot.

Pakistan flew across the Tasman Sea from a windy and cold New Zealand to the more balmy and salubrious climes of Australia. They arrived a week in advance of their only warm up match against a Cricket Australia XI  at Cairns which is in Northern Queensland about 1000 miles from Brisbane. They won without much effort by 201 runs. Taking nothing away from the win it must be mentioned that the Australian line up comprised unknown and untried players. The Brisbane Test is now part of history; it was one of those “could have been” but it was not to be – the “Great Chase” almost came off.  The Boxing Day at Melbourne and the “New Year” Sydney Test were surrendered meekly. The ODIs were lost 1-4.

Pakistan require to pull their socks up in the white ball formats both ODIs and T/20s in which their performances have continued on the slide; the longer 5 day versions also need to be looked at seriously as we have lost six test matches in a row. The captaincy as well as the team compositions have been a cause for concern. Misbah-ul-Haq who has now done a tenure of six years with great success though mainly “at home” in the UAE.

Misbah should have retired after the tour of England when he was still basking in the glory of success. But few do that, although Sangakarra, Jayawardene and now Alistair Cook  have all taken the correct decisions. Misbah on the other hand is influenced and confused by outside pressures including family and from the confused Chairman of the PCB who keeps “pleading” with him to continue; why? only he can answer this question.

PCB made the mistake which is criminal if made in the corporate world of not grooming successors. Misbah is mature, responsible and intelligent enough to make up his own mind. Otherwise I am afraid he will end up like a few others who were either removed unceremoniously or “bargained” a deal with the PCB.

Azhar Ali who, not only was not an automatic choice in the playing ODI team but was never captaincy material should also have gone after the drubbing by England. But he was misled by the results against the West Indians in the UAE. He and the PCB learnt their lesson after the Australians handed them a comprehensive 4-1 defeat. That one win saved them the ignominy of slipping to No 9 in the ICC rankings. Azhar resigned or was asked to resign from the ODI stewardship as well as the 2IC of the Tests. And Sarfaraz was named in his place as the ODI captain but not as the Test vice captain.

The much maligned domestic cricket of Pakistan continues to produce match winners and exciting cricketers as it has done since 1948. If you look up Pakistan’s cricket history it will be evident that most, in fact, all top Pakistan performers are home grown products. Initially they were basically from Lahore and Karachi but gradually as cricket became popular throughout the country brilliant cricketers came from far flung areas stretching from Karachi to Khyber.

There are some leading cricketers from the KPK, FATA, the smaller cities and towns of the Punjab who have donned the Pakistan colours and performed creditably. Those who went and played for English counties had first made their mark in domestic and international cricket for Pakistan.

Counties are not for coaching; they pick up players from foreign lands who have performances and talent and “polish” and “fine tune” them. We must cease criticizing our domestic cricket just to be fashionable. Domestic cricket is criticized by those who have not participated in, or contributed to, it.  There is nothing wrong with our domestic scene except the lack of interest by those who matter and the administration.

A cursory glance at the National Stadium Karachi or the Rawalpindi Stadium is heartbreaking. These are almost in ruins. The stands, the roofs, the seats, the gates, the facilities are fit to be handed over to the archives department. Soon they will compete with Mohenjo daro, Taxilla and Harappa.

As this piece is being written the second edition of the HBLPSL is in progress. The opening ceremony surpassed any other for such events including the Olympics. It must have cost “an arm and a leg”. The various other responsibilities are also outsourced – like catering, accommodation, transport, security, accreditation, ticket printing and sale, as well as broadcasting and telecasting.

I cannot swear for the veracity but it is said that there is heavy Indian involvement in all activities of HBLPSL. Who cares? After all it the Indian Premier League which HBLPSL Management are imitating and competing with.

The HBLPSL has been shaken and soured no sooner had it begun by “corruption” news and some half baked actions. It will be too early and unfair to comment unless and until more details are available and events unfold. I pray and hope that we have seen and heard the last of this. But I am afraid as reports continue to flow from across the Khaleej it appears that this is the proverbial tip of the iceberg.

This is an example of how Pakistan cricket can be run professionally, efficiently and smoothly. The PSL Marketing and Media Divisions are cracker jack units who do a magnificent job. That is why the PSL, we are informed, is cash rich with overflowing coffers, and satisfied stake holders. That is why it is a good idea to make it a separate corporate entity. If only their PCB counterparts could follow could emulate their PSL colleagues. A couple of examples should suffice.

During the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Final at Karachi there was no evidence of any effort in marketing or media fields by the PCB. As such there was no spectator, no advertising, not even the minimal security. No accreditation was required or any passes for vehicles. In any case the car park is in shambles.

No PCB official was in evidence except for the skeleton NSK staff. Let us put these things in order or are we also shifting the domestic cricket off shore, instead of bringing back international cricket to Pakistan? Identical was the case during the Regional One Day Tournament in Peshawar, Rawalpindi and Karachi.

Unlike this tournament Departmental One Day Tournament was not covered either by National Radio or Television. PCB should ensure that all domestic cricket is covered by the TV and Radio Channels. When signing the lucrative Broadcasting deals (be they with Indian controlled 10 Sports) PCB should – like the other Boards – make it compulsory for domestic cricket to be covered as well International events.

 By Asif Suhail

The provisional suspension of Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif for making contacts with an alleged Indian bookie flashed internationally which disgusted and saddened ardent cricket fans in Pakistan who still see it a ‘gentlemen game’.

The suspension came after investigations by PCB along with ICC’s anti-corruption unit and PSL Chairman Najam Sethi immediately sent both cricketers back. Sources, however, maintain that both Sharjeel and Khalid were in the radar of the anti-corruption watchdogs since their arrival in Dubai because of their association with a person who is believed to be part of a gambling syndicate.

According to media reports both Khalid and Sharjeel met with some bookies and had dinner on the insistence of discarded international Nasir Jamshed who phoned Khalid from London for the meeting.

The reports also assert that the bookie was staying on the same floor of players’ hotel in Dubai. Both Latif and Khan were part of the Islamabad United team in the ongoing second edition of the ongoing PSL in United Arab Emirates.

After seven years Pakistan cricket has once again engulfed with spot-fixing allegations. This means that we have not learnt from the past saga when Salman Butt, Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Aamir had been punished by a British court.

Suspension of two cricketers has turned Zero tolerance policy of the PCB into a shameful joke. The issue is still alive. After allowing Mohammed Aamir to resume international cricket and Salman Butt to play domestic cricket such sort of case will surface regularly. Along with Aamir, Marlon Samuels of the West Indies is also part of the ongoing PSL because he has served his ban.

In view of such cases our players have learned that do some fixing – face suspension or ban for a year or two and then make a comeback with the help of corrupt administrators and media. Anyone found guilty should be punished hard. If Khalid and Sharjeel are really guilty, it should be the end of their careers. And in case of Sharjeel, I see his dream of playing in England for the county side is over.

As long as an over-ambitious Sethi is around and heading PSL, Pakistan cricket will continue to suffer setbacks. He was a vocal supporter of Moin Khan who was caught red-handed in a Casino during the WC-2015which shamed the country. He came for Umar Akmal’s rescue when he was found in some brawl in Hyderabad. It was he who managed the entry of Wasim Akram and Mushtaq Ahmed, tainted cricketers of yesteryears, in the PCB. Wasim is now director of the Islamabad United. About Wasim Justice Qayyum in his report had recommended “not to give him any national responsibility in future”.

Though Sethi has tried to control the damage and immediately suspended the players under PCB’s Anti-Corruption Code yet it needs to be checked that if the suspension has not been made in haste. The players could have put on the watch-list and sent them home under some pretext of being unfit.

Though the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Shaharyar Khan has also resolved that “Under no circumstances will the Board condone actions of a few individuals to bring disrepute to the game of cricket or taint the image of Pakistan” yet the PCB should be very careful in its investigation. It’s high time that Shaharyar Khan should assert himself forcefully and take matters into his direct hands. It is not the case of individuals. It can ruin the credibility of PSL. The Board should tackle every bit of the case very prudently to maintain the credibility of our national cricket. If Khalid and Sharjeel found guilty of fixing, they should be made an example for others.

I suggest that the PCB should stop playing in the United Arab Emirates and look another neutral venue to play its future home series. I remember a statement of late Jagmohan Dalmiya, a former president of the BCCI who said: “All involved in fixing are based in Dubai” and gave this reason to cancel series with Pakistan. Although we have to wait and see the outcome of the investigation but I would demand the federal government that match fixing should be made a criminal offense in Pakistan equivalent to treason.

On a lighter note the social media is abuzz advising both Khalid and Sharjeel to challenge their suspension in the court and then present some letters. “Our grandfather and the Indian bookie were old friends. Before Partition the Indian had taken some loan from our grandfathers and he wanted to return that. In the meanwhile it needs to be find out if any Qatari prince was staying in Dubai at the time when this incident happened!

By Shahid Hashmi

England captain struck a responsible 80 to put Peshawar Zalmi’s title aspiration campaign back on track with a seven wickets win on the second day of the Pakistan Super League on Friday.

Morgan’s 57-ball unbeaten knock ensured Zalmi chased down a modest 119-run target in xxx overs at Dubai stadium.

The day was marred by the first incident of fixing in the Twenty20 league when Pakistan opener Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif were provisionally suspended for having met a suspicion betting syndicate individual.

On the field Quetta Gladiators outlasted Lahore Qalandars in a low-scoring match but Karachi King’s aspiration to defend a paltry total were not fulfilled.

It was a story of top order failuer as both team lost their first two wickets with just two on the board but Morgan became the difference as he lifted Peshawar Zalmi from a precarious 2-2 with a 46-run stand with Dawid Malan who made 22.

Morgan kept the good work despite Kamran Akmal falling for nought and hit eight boundaries and three sixes, adding 71 for the unbroken fifth wicket stand with Haris Sohail who made 13.

Zalmi had lost their first match to Islamabad United on Thursday.

Strangely, Karachi captain Kumar Sangakkara did not bowl Ravi Bopara at all, the highest wicket-taker for the team with 11 in the first edition.

Karachi too were tottering after being sent into bat as Mohammad Hafeez (2-7) rocked them with wickets of Shahzaib Hasan (nought) and Chris Gayle (two) in the first three overs.

In between prolific Pakistan batsman Babar Azam was smartly caught in the slip off Hasan Ali. Skipper Kumar Sangakkara also holed out to Chris Jordana to leave Karachi Kings tottering at 12-4.

Shoaib Malik (44 off 36 balls) and Ravi Bopara (33 off 40) added 59 for the fifth wicket to give some stability to the derailed innings. It was left to Kieron Pollard to help the team get past 100-mark, hitting two lusty sixes in his 14-ball 27 not out.

Wahab Riaz also took 2-23 in his four overs.

On the third day of the PSL, title-holders Islamabad United face Lahore Qalandars.

By Shahid Hashmi

Islamabad United opened their title defence with a hard-fought seven wicket win over as Pakistan Super League kicked off with an impressive ceremony.

Set a revised target of 173 in 18 overs after rain intervened Islamabad were put on course by Dwayne Smith (55 off 49 balls with eight boundaries and a six) and Brad Haddin (39-ball 73 with eight fours and three sixes) before a packed Dubai stadium.

Islamabad, originally set 190, had looked to Sharjeel Khan to give them a robust start but the left-hander was trapped leg-before for just one to Hasan Ali in the second over of the innings.

Smith, uncharacteristically slow until Haddin was on charge, as the two added 104 at good pace to set the title-holders on course of a win. Even after Haddin was dismissed with 55 needed off 30 balls the win was never in doubt.

Shane Watson, who made xx-ball xxx, hit two sixes and a boundary to bring the target to seven in the final over. Sam Billings smashed a boundary off the fourth ball to seal victory.

Earlier, Kamran Akmal smashed six sixes and as many fours in his 48-ball 88, once again reminding of his credentials.

Kamran lifted the innings after opener Mohammad Hafeez fell to the first delivery of the innings, caught in the slip off lanky Mohammad Imran.

Together with Dawid Malan (43 off 30 balls with 4×4 and 3×6), Kamran not only brought stability but hit some excellent shots, smashing three sixes off Saeed Ajmal. He brought up his fifty off just 23 balls with three sixes and four boundaries.

That innings came on the back of a prolific domestic season during which he scored 1035 runs in Quaid Trophy and 361 in departmental one-day Cup.

But Peshawar Zalmi erred in sending fit-again but lacking in match practice Haris Sohail — on a comeback trail after a 17-month lay-off due to knee operation. His 14-ball 12 broke Zalmi’s tempo as they managed 51 in the overs 11-16 including the dismissal of Kamran in the 16th over.

Shane Watson finished with 4-46 in his four overs while Mohammad Sami finished with an economical 2-16 in his four.

Lahore Qalandars face Quetta Gladiators in the first of a double header on Friday Karachi Kings will meet Zalmi.

The Pakistan Super League (PSL) fever is once again ready to grip the nation after its massive success in the inaugural edition and Quetta Gladiators are eager to go one step ahead of their previous performance – they lost to Islamabad United in the final.

Looking back at the first edition of PSL, it would be apt to say that neither we were the most expensive team nor we had a star-studded squad but yet Quetta Gladiators won hearts both on and off the field.

The primary focus right from the start was to build a ‘team’ – a set of individuals who would do everything for each other to produce the results which were needed to introduce both Quetta and Gladiators to the cricket world and they did it.

The title would have been icing on the cake but Gladiators have arrived and they are here to stay because they are the ultimate warriors.

Leading up to the season 2 of PSL, the focus was to give youth of Balochistan a platform to show their talent and for that a talent hunt ‘Your Gateway To Stardom’ of U-23 players was conducted in Quetta which was headed by former Test player and chief selector Iqbal Qasim. He was assisted by Gladiators Head Coach Moin Khan and former first-class cricket Zafar Ahmad.

As many as 22 players were shortlisted from all over Balochistan who will get financial support as well as training.

Gladiator’s owner Nadeem Omer said that it was important to get a group of young players from Balochistan who could be nurtured so that they compete with the best players of Pakistan not just for Gladiators team but the national side as well.

“One of the important things which we’ve done post inaugural PSL is to shortlist a group of players from our U-23 talent hunt in Quetta, which is a long-term process,” Nadeem stated. “In the first year, there was just Bismillah Khan from Balochistan in the PSL draft and we selected him.

We believe that other players from Balochistan can come up as well if given the right facilities and training. ‘Your Gateway To Stardom’ is just the start of this process as our young guns will be given top coaching at the best facilities in Pakistan under the supervision of qualified coaches.”

Apart from the talent hunt, Quetta Gladiators revived Inter-School Cricket in the region and the programme was a resounding success.

To support the heroes of the region, Gladiators have signed Pakistan football team captain Kaleem Ullah who is currently playing football in USA while another important addition has been of the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Ahmad Mujtaba knowns as ‘Ahmad Wolverine’.

In addition, the Gladiators’ owner touched upon the subject of preparing a better team technically and tactically for the upcoming edition as changes have been made with Kumar Sangakkara, Grant Elliot, Elton Chigumbura and Aizaz Cheema going out and all-rounders Carlos Brathwaite, who helped West Indies secure their second World T20 title against England, David Willey and Rovman Powell coming in. There is another exciting addition in the form of speed merchant Tymal Mills.

“The idea was to cover the grey areas as much as possible and I’m excited with the new signings at the draft. I hope we will go one step further this time,” Nadeem added.

Meanwhile, Gladiators Head Coach Moin Khan – member 1992 World Cup winner and former captain — reflected on the importance of the talent hunt stating that some good players have been scouted. “There are some good players whom we’ve found from the talent hunt but they need time to get mature.

Things happen with time and I’m sure that in two to three years, the youngsters we’ve selected will be in a position to vie for a spot in Quetta Gladiators,” Moin said.

Moin recalled that Gladiators had an amazing run leading up to the final. “We were amazing in the first PSL if you look at what we did – chasing the highest target against Lahore Qalandars, defending the lowest total against Peshawar Zalmi, best power-play, etc. I hope we will do even better this time.”