Waqar Ahmad Photo © PCB

The English cricket season starts in early April and ends in late September and does not really coincide or clash with seasons of other cricket playing countries. The Pakistan cricket season starts after the monsoons in September and ends in late April when it's too hot to play.

Every year, the English cricket season provides opportunities to Pakistani cricketers to go there, travel around, and take in the sight of cricket being played in lush greenery all over the country, meet different people, enjoy the hospitality and even play professional cricket. This is an experience in itself for any serious cricketer apart from the opportunity to play league, club and for some, even top class county cricket.

Shoaib Akhtar Photo © CricInfo

But, at the same time, every English cricket season brings with it a few problems for the Pakistan Cricket Board. These stem from commitments and contracts made by Pakistani cricketers for playing professional cricket there or more aptly, referred as 'proing' in England.

Cricketing activity through an approved ICC policy called 'globalization of cricket' has increased all over the world and thus it's cricket season the whole year round.

In certain situations, a Pakistani cricketer and the PCB have to decide individually and jointly whether the player should play for his country or his county. The absence of any clear-cut policy by the PCB and the lure of attractive professional fee complicate the issue. In some cases a player ends up playing for neither of the two.

One cannot deny the fact that no country in the world matches the splendour of cricket in an English summer. It is just great to be a young cricketer and pro in a county or a league team.

A recent PCB press release has made it known to all and sundry, Shoaib Akhtar, the fastest bowler in the world, will not be going to play in the Morocco Cup this August. It further clarifies that Shoaib Akhtar is carrying an injury that needs to be treated in England. Strangely enough and very recently, millions saw Shoaib Akhtar bowling thunderbolts at the Australians. He appeared absolutely fit and surely no further proof of his fitness is required.

The fact of the matter is that Shoaib Akhtar is irked with PCB because he was denied permission to play in England for the remainder of the English season for a county or club. One can pose the question, had he been allowed, like fellow cricketers Abdul Razzaq, Saqlain Mushtaq and Azhar Mahmood, would he have reported unfit in defiance and disgust?

All cricketers love to spend summer in England and Shoaib is no exception. It is a way of relaxing and recharging one's batteries.

Shoaib, besides, being the current hottest property in cricket circles, is probably worth at least UKP 100,000 per season. This is the kind of money Wasim Akram used to make playing for Lancashire in his prime years and why should Shoaib be denied this or more?

Looking at the problem from another angle, one can infer that the three young cricketers named above, signed contracts with their respective counties some time ago and that too with the permission of PCB. On the other hand, the counties as per previous practice must have agreed to release them for the Tangier tournament in August and ICC trophy in Sri Lanka in September but not for the recently concluded ODI tour to Australia. Shoaib Akhtar's desire to sign up with an English club is perhaps an afterthought and a bit too late in the day, having no real parallel with the case of the three cricketers already playing in England. It seems to be PCB's own method of drawing parallels.

Some may conjecture, the PCB administration does not want Shoaib Akhtar to over exert in county cricket lest he expose himself to injury or extreme fatigue prior to more important assignments than Morocco. Others may think the PCB wants to look after the fastest bowler on the planet like a prize horse.

The other aspect of the matter, which is correlated to his desire to play as a professional in England this summer, is fee and remuneration he receives from PCB. So far, he has shown extreme restraint over the fee he has been receiving which is reportedly roughly equivalent to that of Azhar Mahmood.

Shoaib Akhtar although a man of few words, temperamentally responds to various situations created by himself, the PCB or natural circumstances in his own peculiar manner. He is neither aggressive nor unreasonable.

Those who know him since the beginning of his first-class cricket career may well recall, he started as a professional with PIA at a meager thousand rupees or about $17 per month. He then moved on to ADBP.

In 1997-98 Shoaib Akhtar toured South Africa under Rashid Latif's captaincy. His selection for the tour was opposed tooth and nail by a senior selector because Shoaib in the selector's opinion had no idea about swing bowling. On top of it, as soon as the team landed in South Africa Rashid Latif decided to send him back due to some undisclosed injury and requested Basit Ali as the replacement. Of course at that point in time, Shoaib Akhtar was oblivious to happenings around him. When contacted by the PCB he exhibited a remarkably cool temperament and the sagacity to analyze and react to a complex and somewhat political situation. As a young player he confronted his captain and assured him that he was fit to take on the South Africans and in the second Test took 5 for 43 to secure himself a permanent place in the team. He has not looked back since.

More fuel is added by the PCB's pay structure for Test players which is based on 'seniority'. This means a player who has played more matches will get more money compared to one who has played fewer. It's a difficult formula and incorporates a slab system. More variables are added in the equation for matches played abroad, however, the basis remains seniority. Unfortunately, more often than not, the pay structure formula seems unfair and unjust in the case of a junior but high achiever. For example, Aaqib Javed was a junior player when he established a bowling ODI world record by taking seven wickets in a match in Sharjah that Pakistan won. The poor chap ended up receiving the smallest cheque, not enough to buy a return ticket from Sharjah to Lahore!

Shoaib Akhtar as he gets older and because of his hurricane like bowling approach is not likely to remain on top as the fastest bowler for a very long time. One can safely presume that after the World Cup 2003 he will turn into a fast swing bowler at speeds around 138-142 kph. His control and swing will increase and the ability to reverse swing in the late overs of an ODI or as the ball wears, in a test match, will also increase. Perhaps he will no longer be able to electrify a stadium full of people with his frightening speed but will be able to achieve far better figures than he has so far.

All said and done, it does seem unjust to pay him on the basis of a junior cricketer, according to the present pay structure formula.

Cricket is a highly commercialized game today and is crossing over into new countries. One feels, we may soon see the Chinese and the Japanese wielding the 'willow'. Cricket has taken on soccer in roping in advertisement revenues from multinational conglomerates and soon cricket might even have the upper hand.

PCB also needs to wake up to the immense opportunities and challenges provided by the modern commercial world of sports, advertisement and broadcasting. PCB is a rich institution and should remain one. All of Pakistan's sports bodies look up to PCB as a role model and trendsetter. It is disturbing when PCB officials moan and groan over India's refusal to play against Pakistan and the resultant imaginary loss of income. There are nine other test-playing countries, dozens of venues and hundreds of sponsors in the world, so why harp on missing out with India.

Coming back to the topic, the standoff between Shoaib Akhtar and PCB must come to an end. PCB should do away with its age-old unjust seniority based formula and look for a new more equitable formula on the basis of both, seniority and performance. High achievers should be placed in a higher bracket with lots of perks and benefits commensurate with remunerations that other countries are paying. Shoaib Akhtar or other stars should be allowed to play in England.

We can only wish Shoaib Akhtar good luck and hope that he enjoys the English summer while it lasts.

ED: Waqar Ahmad is an ex-cricketer, writer, commentator and a past Secretary of Pakistan Cricket Board. Email: ebc@fibre.net.pk

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