In contrast to the claims of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Ijaz Butt, many former cricketers in Pakistan believe that eradicating player power from the country’s cricket is easier said than done.
Last week, Butt had claimed to have eradicated player power from Pakistan cricket as he credited the enforcement of strict punishments on players accused of violating rules and regulations of the PCB.
Speaking on the matter, Pakistan’s former batting great Zaheer Abbas said, “It’s a good thing if it has been stamped out. Cricket will flourish if claims made by Ijaz are to be believed. Players have always run after power and it’s been a major issue with Pakistan cricket.”
He further said, “As far as the Chairman’s claim is concerned, something so major can’t be done in a year or two because it’s become a tradition in Pakistan cricket for the last two decades.”
Abbas also added that it was due to player power that no one had ever felt the need to make an association for cricketers.
Meanwhile former PCB official, Mian Munir, placed the blame of player power on Pakistan’s 1992 triumphant world cup skipper Imran Khan. According to Munir it was Imran who first injected the doctrine of player power in the country’s cricket.
He also doubted the possibility of eliminating player power from Pakistan cricket but insisted that if it really had been done then the PCB should make sure that the menace doesn’t creep back-in in the future.
He blamed player power for the inconsistency in team selection which has plagued Pakistan cricket for decades.
The claims of the PCB chairman are hard to swallow since Pakistan cricket is again entangled in a feud between the coach and captain of the national team.
According to news reports, the limited overs captain, Shahid Afridi, is at odds with the head coach and former pacer, Waqar Younis, over player selection for the last two matches of the five-match One-Day series in theWest Indies earlier.
After reaching back home at the conclusion of the tournament, Afridi claimed that there was outside interference in the selection of the team.
According to details, after taking the series by winning the first three matches, Afridi wanted to give young players a chance to test their mettle, however, Waqar begged to differ and refused to adhere to Afridi’s request.
This is believed to be the bone of contention between the two and since Waqar is still in the Caribbean, the PCB has delayed any action for now.
The PCB will wait for the detailed report, which will be submitted by the team’s manager, Intikhab Alam.
It was rumoured in the local media that the PCB was considering sidelining Afridi for his outburst in Pakistani media regarding the estranged relation with the national team’s coach.
The PCB seems to be caught between a rock and a hard place and it will be interesting to see how Ijaz Butthandles the situation.
