Afridi in the Dock

After speedster Shoaib Akhtar, who in his exuberance to shatter the world speed record of cricket's thunderbolts was reported for `throwing' and had to sit out for months, Shahid Afridi is the second Pakistani bowler to be put in the dock for suspect bowling action. An all rounder of immense value, Afridi has been a member of the Pakistan team for over 4 years, during which he gave some remarkable performance both with bat and the ball. Combining the traits of an exciting opening batsman and a useful leg spinner, Afridi holds the world record of scoring the fastest century (in 37 balls) in one-day cricket.

Known as the `pinch hitter,' Afridi has the ability to throw the ball over the fence with the flick of a wrist. Similarly as a bowler he has been instrumental in breaking some well dug in partnerships. For his 20 wickets in 11 tests and 78 wickets in 120 one -day internationals, he was never warned for a suspect action. He somehow became the target of Match Referee Barry Jarman's hawk eye during the one day international series against England last year and was reported for a suspect action. Afridi had grabbed 5 wickets for 40 runs in one of the 3 match series. Afridi who at times spins the ball much faster than others is perhaps reported for his faster deliveries.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was quite prompt in dealing with the matter. Not only that they forwarded the detailed video tapes of Afridi's bowling action to the ICC, they also appointed a panel of experts comprising of former leg spinner Abdul Qadir, off spinner Ijaz Faqih and fast bowler Mohsin Kamal to monitor his bowling action and help him in removing the defect, if any. In his comments on the problem, Abdul Qadir who was called the `Magician" for his highly baffling spin of the ball said, " I have seen him bowl a lot of times and have never found any problem. His faster one has been questioned and this may be a minor flaw which can easily be removed."

Afridi is undergoing a six-week period of consultation and guidance with the panel of experts, after which the final report will be forwarded to the ICC and the international panel of umpires and referees. Having met at the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore to watch Shahid Afridi in action and to review the video films of his objectionable deliveries, the panel has embarked on the job of correcting and clearing the versatile player before Pakistan team's forthcoming tour of New Zealand.

Removing International Umpires

A news appeared in the press sometime back that on receipt of a negative report from Match Referee Barry Jarman during England's recent tour of Pakistan, the Chairman PCB was considering to remove umpires Mian Aslam and Riazuddin from the International Panel of Umpires. The decision was said to be based on some doubtful decisions given by the two umpires during the series.

The cricket experts, however, did not relish the idea on the grounds that to err is human. Most of the view that the umpires being the `judges on the field' do not deliberately gives a wrong decision. Such decisions generally caused by misjudgment being an every day feature, are accepted as a part of the game. Umpires should not be subjected to any punishment for such errors.

The matter was discussed with a senior official of the PCB who denied having any plans of changing the umpires in question. He even termed the news item as absolutely baseless.

International Umpires must hold both the ends

As per the practice in vogue currently, the international matches are partly adjudicated by the ICC umpires. It may be recalled that Imran Khan the former Pakistan captain was the vocal exponent of the scheme of appointing `neutral umpires'. I remember being present in the ICC meetings as an official of the PCB when the scheme was finally approved. Since the visiting teams considered every doubtful decision as `biased against them', the idea behind the proposal was to protect the host countries from undue criticism from the visitors. The standard of umpiring in the cricket playing countries was not the subject of debate, because the same umpires now constitute the `International Panel of Umpires'.

Now when one end of the pitch is held by the ICC umpire and the other by a local, disputes have started occurring again. Many batsmen leave the crease with a feeling of discontentment. A proposal recently forwarded by the PCB recommending the appointment of both the umpires from the international panel is reported to have been turned down by the ICC for paucity of funds. The cricket observers feel that to ensure a smooth sailing for every international series, the manning of both ends by the ICC umpires is absolutely essential.

PCB expanding its sphere

The PCB is planning to expand its sphere of influence and authority by taking the Blinds cricket, Deaf and Dumb cricket, Veterans cricket and the Women's cricket under its umbrella. Since the Board's constitution did not have such a provision, these branches of the game functioned independently under their respective associations. To implement the plan, the PCB has allocated the subject to an official of Manager's status who will deal with the affairs of these associations.

While the Veterans cricket is taking fast strides towards progress, the Blind cricket has already made a name for itself. The Pakistan team finished runners up in the Blinds World Cup held in India in 1999 with one of its batsmen named Masood Jan creating a world record by hammering a double century. The Women's cricket in the country is divided between three different factions with each association considering control over the game as its legitimate right. Despite all the efforts, the PCB has not yet been able to unite them.
With some sort of recognition granted to these branches of the game by the Board coupled with moral and material support, their performance will certainly improve.

© CricInfo