KARACHI: After what happened on March 3 this year, Pakistan cricket’s top brass should have declared a state of emergency.
Following the ghastly attack on Sri Lankan players in Lahore, it became crystal clear that the situation for the sport in Pakistan was truly desperate and needed desperate measures to ensure the return of international cricket to Pakistan.
But how did the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) react to the situation? By doing nothing much, if well-placed insiders in the Board are to be believed. Reliable sources told Arab News that more than five months after the Lahore incident, the PCB is yet to even come close to hammering out any blueprint aimed at bringing international cricket back to Pakistan.
Publicly, Ijaz Butt has been flying to various parts of the globe in a bid to fight for Pakistan’s cause. He initiated a legal battle against the International Cricket Council (ICC) over its decision to take away Pakistan share of 2011 World Cup games from Pakistan over security apprehensions.
But the ground reality is that the chances of Pakistan having any 2011 World Cup matches on their home soil are still as remote as they were when the games were relocated from the country earlier this year.
“We will have to take everything step by step,” said a Board official, who requested anonymity. “I mean to ensure that top teams return to Pakistan, we will have to start holding some sort of high-profile games as soon as possible.”
Insiders will tell you that some senior Board officials are frustrated over the lack of interest shown by Butt, the PCB chairman, in making concrete efforts for the revival of international cricket in Pakistan.
“It’s a question of whether you have the will to do it,” said the PCB official. “It all depends on whether the chairman is interested in making a plan to ensure that international (cricket) teams return to Pakistan. So far he hasn’t shown the will to do it.”
Such is the structure of the PCB that it all boils down to the one man calling all the shots - the chairman. The PCB might have other senior officials or a so-called governing board but the chairman continues to enjoy sweeping powers.
