Pakistan Cricket: On the Ropes

Pakistan sure is the worldwide center of intrigue right now. Osama bin Laden is hiding out somewhere in the tribal badlands, the Pakistani Taliban are training American citizens to attack their own homeland, and Pakistani cricketers are the subject of police investigations on conspiracy to defraud bookmakers. Busy little fellows aren't they? Oh yes, I almost forgot, the chairman of their cricket council may also be telling porkies!

The recent Test series between England and Pakistan has been overshadowed by claims that bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir deliberately bowled no-balls after an undercover journalist paid money to a middle man.The duo, along with captain Salman Butt, played no part in the following one-day series and have been provisionally suspended by the International Cricket Council ahead of a hearing into the claims.

After all this drama it was reported in the cricket media that there was a very real prospect of expelling the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt as an ICC director. This shows just how thin the ice that the Pakistan cricket board was and still is skating on. Well-placed observers vary on the degree of the threat but some believe Butt was compelled to accept a series of wide-ranging reforms to Pakistan cricket without protest because the alternative would have been to face expulsion.

The biggest tragedy is to the game of cricket and the millions of fans the world over. The security situation in Pakistan has forced the cricket world to by pass the country to keep both players and spectators safe. This was especially so after the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team in 2009. I have had the greatest pleasure watching the Pakistani's play, both in New Zealand and Australia. My biggest thrill was seeing opening bowlers Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis throwing their thunderbolts at opposing batsmen.

I am not sure when these ignominious goings-on will cease and Pakistan get back to its rightful place amongst the best of cricketing nations. But the actions of some of their players are not helping their cause in any way. Ijaz Butt, in my opinion, needs to be replaced by someone with more stature and better leadership. Imran Khan would be great in the role as chairman. The sooner the better.

Burning on cheats in sport

Okay, Jim Rome is not the only one who gets to burn! I am still simmering a bit over some comments made by idiots after Derek Jeter got caught cheating in a Yankees game a couple of weeks back. I've tried to let it lie but I just can't. You know the incident I'm talking about; Jeter acted his way to first base after a pitch in the seventh inning hit the skinny end of his bat. He shook his arm, winced as if in pain, received a visit from the trainer and was awarded first by the umpire. The next batter belted a home run that gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead. Thankfully, the Rays rallied for a 4-3 victory.

Later, Jeter admitted he was not personally hit, but that it hit the bat. He said that the umpire told him to go to first base. I'm not going to tell him I'm not going to first, you know." Rays manager Joe Maddon was tossed from the game for arguing the call, but he didn't fault Jeter. He said he would have applauded if a Rays player had done it. Great, just what we need from a "leader".

I'm sorry but cheating is cheating. No other word describes it, not gamesmanship, not acting, not "it's just part of the game". Sports is a microcosm of life and if cheating is condoned and even "applauded" on the sports field, what chance do we have in society. We just end up teaching our kids that unless you are caught and it has consequences, then it's totally okay. Wrong, that's total BS ( and I'm not talking about a Bachelor of Science degree).

I guess the thing that burns me the most is that Major League Baseball did nothing about it. If an organization has the power to censure a player for taking drugs, they can make a guy lose a couple of weeks salary for cheating and bringing the game into disrepute, and that's exactly what Jeter did. I'm not picking on Derek, he just happens to be the best current example. The same thing could be said about Thierry Henry when he blatantly hand-balled a shot into goal, and his cheating bundled Ireland out of a chance to compete in the FIFA World Cup. What if Jeter's cheating had caused the Rays to loose the game, like Henry's did to Ireland? What outcry then? Oh FIFA did nothing afterwards about Henry either; what a bunch of pathetic losers.