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Sack Majid!

Majid Khan, chief executive of the Pakistan Cricket Board, and his senator friends have been on a campaign of persecution against some of the very finest cricketers Pakistan has produced.

These cricketers include star players like Wasim Akram, Salim Malik, Ijaz Ahmad, Mushtaq Ahmad, Saqlain Mushtaq, and Inzamam Ul Haq. These players have repeatedly authored numerous triumphs for Pakistan, and no sensible cricket lover can overlook their achievements in the international arena.

The way politicians are being increasingly involved in cricketing matters is a recipe for disaster. Let's not forget that these senators, and their peers, are the very reason that Pakistan is in such a precarious economic situation these days. The politicians define corruption and incompetence, and nothing good can come of their increasing involvement in cricket affairs.

Pakistan is probably the only country where an individual is required to prove his innocence again and again. Salim Malik's case is one example, a disgraceful one. Malik was exonerated by a Pakistani judge of any wrongdoing, in terms of involvement in betting and match-fixing. Therefore, it becomes inexplicable that he is being tried, scrutinized, all over again. Even in a case of murder, the same person cannot be tried for the offence a second time.

So why the agony of double jeopardy for Malik? It means either the first judge was wrong, or we do not trust our legal system. In any case, there is no justification for keeping such a brilliant player out of the national side for more than a year -- a case of punishing a player without having first proved his guilt.

If, today, Pakistan cricket is at its lowest ebb since the 1992 World Cup, the PCB alone is responsible. Our batting was so rich, in the 1992 World Cup, that we had Ijaz Ahmed slated to bat at number nine. Now, we are struggling to find four reliable specialist batsmen.

It looks like the board has one view -- one that is not shared by anyone else. For instance, when South Africa conquered Pakistan for a record 13th time in a row in one day games, guess what the Pakistani cricket management said? That the tour was an unqualified success!

And it is hard to escape the conclusion that Majid Khan is the person most responsible for this state of affairs. His policies of favoritism, bias, partiality, nepotism, crookedness, and his ability to create an atmosphere of confrontation between star cricketers has paved the way for the significant decline in our ability to beat the best teams in the world.

Khan's ego needs constant stoking, and to do this, he has found the best possible way -- namely, create a culture where only the mediocre can survive. Selectors like Salim Altaf and Shafiq Ahmed, and officials like Talat Ali, Agha Zahid, Sikander Bakht, and Haroon Rashid are sad examples of below par cricketers deciding the fate of Pakistani cricket.

But perhaps the most shameful example of Khan's despotic, nepotistic ways is the appointment of his own son as the permanent captain of the Pakistan junior team. On the one hand we have the national team, with ten captains in the last three years -- and on the other hand, we have Bazid Khan, sans requisite skills or maturity, leading the juniors.

In my view, an all out revamp of Pakistan's cricket management is required to move the team in the right direction. The appointment of Khalid Mahmood, Wasim Bari, and Javed Miandad are steps in the right direction.

Another step in that direction would be for us to acknowledge the services of our contemporary cricket greats, such as Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and Salim Malik, all of whom have served the team wonderfully well.

To my mind, the following steps are needed to reverse the downward trend of Pakistan cricket:

1) Fire Majid Khan and sack his entourage of unfit, incompetent, and unqualified officials.

2) Admit that our batting is our weakness, and concentrate on developing some world class batsmen. We have not produced any batsman of the quality of Kallis, Ganguly, or Dravid since the 1992 World Cup.

3) Make Wasim Akram the captain at least until the 1999 World Cup. He is an outstanding cricketer, and we must take advantage of his skills and maturity.

4) Ensure that fast bowlers get plenty of rest between games. People of the pace of Waqar, Wasim, Zahid, and Shoiab can't be bowled into the ground. They should not play every game, but rather used in rotation, in much the same style of baseball pitchers.

5) Appoint knowledgeable, competent people as our cricket officials.

6) Ensure that all present and prospective national players attend a month-long fitness and fielding practice clinic, supervised by specialist coaches.

7) Players like Inzamam and Saeed Anwar to receive special attention from the Pakistan physiotherapist·

8) Monitor the performances of the likes of Aamir Sohail, Rashid Latif and Ijaz Ahmad and if there is no improvement, then bring in younger players.

9) Given that today's cricketing calendar spans 12 months, the answer would be to have at least 24 players of international calibre ready at all times, rotating them depending on the needs of the particular tournaments, as a means to ensure that fitness and motivation levels remain optimum.

Pakistan is hurting at the moment, and needs proper direction and dedication from its players and cricket officials to get back its winning ways.

Teymoor Rashid, resident of Dallas, Texas, is a cricket fan. This article is a voluntary submission from him.