Goodbye, cricket

Shahid Afridi and his band, with persistent patience, put the last nail in Pakistan cricket’s coffin by gifting the match to the Aussies in Mohali. People were hoping against hope that these ‘players’ would have learnt from their past mistakes and played for the country, but, alas, this was not to be. The good bowling by Imad Wasim and Wahab Riaz went in vain because abysmal bowling by other bowlers allowed the Aussies to put up a total which the green-shirts had no hope of chasing since our batsmen have a knack of playing absolutely reckless shots.

The patron-in-chief should now disband the PCB and send these so-called cricketers back to where they came from. People have had enough of this cricket failure. A moratorium should be placed on all international cricket for Pakistan for an indefinite period. In the interim period, a committee comprising people like Majid Khan, Sarfaraz Nawaz, Inzamam Ul Haq and Misbahul Haq should be formed and tasked with searching for fresh talent, of which there is no dearth in the country.

S T Rahman

Lahore

*****

The dismal performance of the Pakistani squad in the World T20 has created a furore the likes of which was never seen before. The entire nation and the media have gone bonkers, and are discussing the issue day and night on TV channels as if there is nothing better to do. Some suggesting sacking the captain and the coach, some cutting out the dead wood in the form of senior players and yet others guillotining the PCB bigwigs. If you ask me, why not do away with cricket altogether in Pakistan? Does it not cost us millions and millions of man hours which could be utilised productively elsewhere? How does it contribute in any way in improving the health – mental or physical – of the nation or for that matter even of the players?

Cricket is no longer a sport but a commercial bonanza, involving betting, match fixing and corruption. How many nations of the world play cricket? A developing nation like ours cannot afford the luxury of wasting its time and resources on cricket. Let’s concentrate on other healthier sports instead.

Col (r) Riaz Jafri

Rawalpindi