Caesar
Member
The die is cast. A deadline has been set, and the PCB has undertaken to submit a detailed report on combating corruption to the next ICC meeting in Hong Kong, on 26-30 June.
What this report will contain is anyone's guess. Not since the Cronje scandal has one country been so engulfed by the stench of match fixing - indeed, it's arguable that this issue is more endemic and far-reaching than the South African one ever was.
Whatever the result, given the source it seems unlikely that the demands of Imran Khan, cricketing great and Pakistani opposition leader, will be met. He is convinced that the problem - not just in terms of corruption, but the overall failings of the system to produce competitive teams - lies at the top. Unfortunately it is a viewpoint that (whilst common) has gained little traction in recent years with the authorities in Pakistan.
Khan as a political figure is perhaps brave to go one step further and call for increased ICC intervention on corruption, a sensitive matter given the implications of interference with the domestic domain of the powerful PCB. But perhaps given the current climate now is the time when it has the chance of being most accepted, with Pakistan's cricketing public at the height of their discontent.
I was heartened to read this article last month from one of my favourite Pakistani cricket writers, Khurram Baig. He is quite forthright in his criticisms of the PCB and lends support to Khan's claim that what is needed is revolution and devolution - change at the top, reempowerment of grassroots and regional cricket, and a renewed focus at the national level of building a sustainable domestic competition.
The end result? A strong, stable, and successful pyramid for the fostering of talent and financial success of the sport. Capitalising on the passion of Pakistanis for cricket, rather than simply relying on it.
Perhaps the first step for all this to happen is the ICC to reject the PCB proposal next month, and take a proactive role in handling the corruption themselves. It seems clear that nobody else has the political will to hold the board accountable.
What this report will contain is anyone's guess. Not since the Cronje scandal has one country been so engulfed by the stench of match fixing - indeed, it's arguable that this issue is more endemic and far-reaching than the South African one ever was.
Whatever the result, given the source it seems unlikely that the demands of Imran Khan, cricketing great and Pakistani opposition leader, will be met. He is convinced that the problem - not just in terms of corruption, but the overall failings of the system to produce competitive teams - lies at the top. Unfortunately it is a viewpoint that (whilst common) has gained little traction in recent years with the authorities in Pakistan.
Khan as a political figure is perhaps brave to go one step further and call for increased ICC intervention on corruption, a sensitive matter given the implications of interference with the domestic domain of the powerful PCB. But perhaps given the current climate now is the time when it has the chance of being most accepted, with Pakistan's cricketing public at the height of their discontent.
I was heartened to read this article last month from one of my favourite Pakistani cricket writers, Khurram Baig. He is quite forthright in his criticisms of the PCB and lends support to Khan's claim that what is needed is revolution and devolution - change at the top, reempowerment of grassroots and regional cricket, and a renewed focus at the national level of building a sustainable domestic competition.
The end result? A strong, stable, and successful pyramid for the fostering of talent and financial success of the sport. Capitalising on the passion of Pakistanis for cricket, rather than simply relying on it.
Perhaps the first step for all this to happen is the ICC to reject the PCB proposal next month, and take a proactive role in handling the corruption themselves. It seems clear that nobody else has the political will to hold the board accountable.
