The 'Right to Play' and the Global Peace Games
By Aamir Bilal
"When children play, the world wins" is the motto of a famous international NGO which uses sport and play programmes to impart life skills, improve health and foster peace for children and communities affected due to conflict, poverty, lack of education and disease.
"In Pakistan, almost 55,000 school children, local youths, teachers and coaches are being helped by the innovative programmes of Right to Play in Mansehra, Peshawar, Quetta and Mardan," said Iqbal Jatooi who is an anthropologist and a passionate sport for development practitioner.

It could be my wishful thinking but I think that our sports chiefs are finally getting it. That could be the reason why last week, for a change, we had some good news coming from both cricket and hockey.

Ijaz Butt, Pakistan's embattled cricket chief, finally agreed to bury the hatchet with Younis Khan, allowing the former captain to make his international return.

In hockey, chief selector Hanif Khan met with Sohail Abbas and then picked the drag flick ace in Pakistan's preliminary squad for the Asian Games.

Let's talk about cricket first.

To say that Pakistan cricket finds itself in a deep mess would be an understatement. The international Cricket Council is sharpening its claws as it waits for the end of a 30-day deadline given to the PCB to put its house in order. Some people are even talking about the possibility of Pakistan getting suspended from international cricket.

These are certainly the worst of times. But with a cleverer and more professional approach than what they've adopted so far, Pakistan's cricket officials can also make it the best of times.

I mean, it's not always that the opportunity to carry out sweeping changes presents itself. That is what our cricket currently needs – sweeping changes with an aim to clean up and professionalize the sport.

I'm not just talking about disciplining the players. What's much more important is improved governance within the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The Board will have to change – from a one-man show into an institution which is run systematically rather than on the whims and fancies of the people occupying important positions. Once you turn the Board into a professional body capable of running cricket in a proper manner, there won't be any need to work extra time on controlling the players. They would just fall in line.

The PCB will have to work on a war footing. It needs to take all the right steps because after a series of blunders, it doesn't have much margin for error.

Intikhab Alam, the new national team manager, claims that the PCB is working overtime to put Pakistan cricket back on track.

"It's not as tough as it seems," Intikhab told me referring to the demand made by the ICC which wants PCB to implement a special eight-point anti-corruption initiative by November 13.

"In fact we have already taken several measures to convince the cricket world that we mean business," added Intikhab, who is Butt's close advisors these days.

In fact he is supposed to have played a role in recalling Younis for the upcoming series against South Africa in the United Arab Emirates.

Younis should never have been axed from the team in the first place. But it's good that he is back. Pakistan cricket needs characters like him. He is a solid, honest cricketer and is sincere to his country.

Another belated yet good move is the PCB's decision to bar Pakistan's tainted trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif from using the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Lahore. The three players are yet to clear their names and until they do that, there shouldn't be any leniency for them.

In hockey, too, there is this urgent need for the officials to get their act together. Pakistan have had a pretty bad year in which they slumped to a humiliating last-place finish in the World Cup in New Delhi in March. To add insult to injury, the Greenshirts were whipped 7-4 by old rivals India in their Commonwealth Games clash earlier this month. Pakistan finished a disappointing sixth position in the tournament, even behind minnows South Africa.

Next month, Pakistan will be featuring in the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. They have to win the title there to earn an automatic qualification for the 2010 Olympic Games in London. On current form, they do not figure among the title favourites as defending champions Korea and India will be gunning for the continental crown.

But Pakistan aren't as bad a team as their results in 2010 suggest. They are a decent side that has been underachieving in major events like the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. The team's coaches will have to ensure that the boys play to their potential in Guangzhou. Because if they do that, Pakistan will have a fair chance to regain the Asian crown.

The return of Sohail Abbas is also a good development. The man holds the record for the highest number of goals in international hockey and is still counted among the world's best drag flick experts. Unfortunately, Pakistan have never won a major title even with Sohail in the line-up, a fact that prompts some critics to reject him as a loser. The thing is that one man, no matter how good he is, cannot guarantee success for a team that is full of average players. You can't expect Pakistan to start beating teams like Australia and Germany just because Sohail can flick the ball faster than anybody else in the game. The thing is that he can cover just one aspect of the game. Hockey is a team sport and unlike cricket, where a double century or a ten-wicket haul by one player can change the complexion of a match, all the eleven players on the field have to perform to win an international hockey match.

Last week, both the PCB and the PHF took steps that signaled a change in their approach. Those steps should have come a long time ago but as they say, better late than never.

The recently concluded Commonwealth Games proved once again the weaknesses of our hockey. The defence wilted under pressure and showed weaknesses which culminated in teamís poor performance against world champions Australia and India. Pakistan were beaten even by South Africa for the fifth position, finishing sixth in the competition.

The foreign coach, it looks, has done some work to help the forwards to translate their moves into goals while the defence has conceded goals to thwart every effort of the team to salvage its prestige as worldís leading team. I remember in Rome Olympics, Pakistan showed grit and resolve to displace India from Olympic hockey leadership as the team played as a unit and when inside left, Naseer Bunda was able to net the only goal in the first fifteen minutes the defence never allowed the Indians to recover and equalize.

That was in 1960 and thereafter the team went from strength to strength. India as world hockey power was now seen as a team which could be beaten and Pakistan then proved it in the Asian Games where it beat India several times. In Melbourne in 1964 India were able to win back the Olympic title beating Pakistan 1-0 which to some experts was against run of play.

It was in Mexico Olympics, 18th edition of the modern games, where Pakistan achieved supremacy when they won all the nine matches, seven of the pool, semifinal and the final to take the gold medal. It was here that the Indian hockey suffered the ignominy of defeat first at the hands of New Zealand in the open pool match and then failing to win any medal, finishing fourth on the winning table. Australia and West Germany had been in contention for a long time but Pakistan were able to hold sway over the challengers thus frustrating their title hopes.

After India lost to New Zealand in the opening match it was generally held that Asian supremacy had now ended. Pakistan however proved the pundits wrong by handing 6-0 defeat to Holland in the second match of the afternoon, Rashid junior scoring the first hat trick.

Pakistan were able to stay atop hockey for sometime but then the sad happenings of Munich deprived Pakistan of its gold through controversial umpiring decisions. Pakistan netted a silver medal, courtesy infighting in the Pakistan Hockey Federation. Pakistan won yet another gold medal at Los Angeles and also bagged world Cup, Asia Cup, Asian Games titles and Champions Trophy contests. The golden period of hockey was when Air Marshal Nur Khan and Brig. Manzoor Hussain Atif were incharge of the game. I will write about the causes of Pakistanís defeat sometime later.

The decline in hockey standard slowly manifested itself and we also saw player power which brought PHF and the players face to face in the Champions Trophy at Karachi. However, players were able to get better facilities in the bargain but this made PHF vulnerable to player power.

Pakistanís last gold medal came in 1994 at Lahore and thereafter their performance has remained lack luster. Pakistan flopped at the Seoul Olympics and the World Cup immediately afterwards. Several attempts have been made to improve our performance but the measures so far taken are tentative based on ad-hocism. Hockey was one game in which Pakistan rightly claimed to be world champion however the PHF failed to organise the game on sound footing.

The zonal associations have no role. The regional tournaments have been done away with, schools and colleges have been ignored and inter-university competitions have been shelved. Previously local clubs of Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur and others used to hold tournaments on national levels but they were discontinued. At present Lahore is the only center.

Regional centers like Bahawalpur, Multan, Hyderabad, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar used to hold tournaments in which teams from various cities and districts participated. The regional clubs undertook tours of other cities which provided the players exposure in different conditions. Waheed Khan, former centre-forward of Pakistan, as manager of Pakistan team introduced a new system of training of players when he made videos of various players of national team and the opponents to show to the players their weaknesses and faults. This resulted in much improved performance and Pakistan was able win world cup under him.

We need empowerment of schools, colleges and university hockey and revival of local clubs. At the same time it is expedient we restart the inter-provincial tournaments so that we are able to get a stream of new young budding players. At present we just have 30 odd players who form the nucleus of the selection for national team. Players know they cannot be replaced thus it is important we have several players for each position to win back our glorious past.

The foreign coach we have now has done some good work in the forward line but our defence is weak. We need to work harder to improve the showing of defence to enable Pakistan win back its old place in world hockey. The centralised system must give way to regional system to help Pakistan get to the top of the world. At the same time it is also imperative that we organise the game at junior level, holding camps for under 12, under-14 and under-16. Training camps must be set up at various centers to hunt the hockey talent.

Schools and colleges should be encouraged to produce players in various games as used to be practice in olden days. We were able to get several good players from educational institutions in the past. I am sure if we revive the old system we will have a team which will be able regain Pakistanís lost position in world hockey. It needs resolve, grit and determination and correct planning which I am afraid is missing at present.

arshadshami@yahoo.com

Pakistan's cricket administration to me is bizarre and with Ijaz Butt's regime in, it isn't just uncanny; it seems rotting. The festering just can't be arrested because the pretentiousness of the people who have appointed Ijaz Butt have disturbed the pretence of a sensitive seat of power which is actually the focus in procreating values and methods to govern cricket both nationally and internationally. It was also reported that Butt had to travel in an ambulance (security concerns) to the Gadaffi Stadium to witness the final of the RBS Twenty20 Cup 2010-11 final; I, at least hope that he doesn't have to use the same vehicle taking him out of the Pakistan Cricket Board. Butt's is Pakistan cricket's shameless regime.

Why have we inherited Ijaz Butt with the Pakistan Peoples' Party Government? And what's so precious about preserving him and persevering with him in spite of almost 180 million Pakistanis apologetically clasping hands to see him removed as Chairman of the PCB? What are Patron's compulsions not to sack a man who hasn't only failed in management of country's cricket, but has virtually eradicated it, so much so that the International Cricket Council has notified his failings, contemplating to suspend his directorship of the ICC?

Now even a jobless recovery wouldn't really help to pull the game out of recession well before Butt is sacked, if ever, and it doesn't seem happening. Is the Patron waiting for Pakistan's cricket to have sanctions imposed by the ICC before he turns to the back of the napkin? There had not been a single quarter of contraction growth left unattended a robust downturn could be noticed. Ironically, Pakistan cricket has been left with a deep trust deficit, one that has been widening ever since the folly of Butt's selection as Chairman PCB was cut.

The overwhelming evidence of this is Butt's survival after a string of calamities that have stung Pakistan cricket eternally. Pakistan cricket's weak position is only the most visible sign of country's problems. The level of crime is grave and Butt is every day rewarded by being retained in office. I think it's time that we should play a hand we had been dealt. The President of Pakistan who is also the Patron of the PCB should be persuaded that in case if he already has an excess on the platter, he should disassociate himself from cricket's patronage or he is requested that there is an assignment which has to be attended to first-a task which turns out to preoccupy much of cricket's agenda for the next couple of months leading up to the World Cup 2011.

What is Butt's conceptual framework? Could Butt testify to its personal significance? I think writing about the downturns of Pakistan cricket and against Butt's ridiculous decisions is like expecting a quiet and an inactive bull in a china shop? Near impossible. The pursuit of truth through a critical process is a deeply held conviction that should have guided Butt throughout his tenure. So is the insight and the ultimate truth is unattainable. As part of the critical process, I have asked myself why it is so important to pursue truth. The question is a valid one. In scientific method, the truth matters above all: any theory is valuable only if it is valid. Not so in politics of Butt and other aspects of his cricket management.

Truth, eruditeness and practicality were abandoned as Butt took over the PCB; and for him they even couldn't serve as examples of fallibility. This shows his fatal flaw in what he postulated. It is not necessarily true, he has gone far enough, too far and seems he isn't bound to be wrong in any situation, so he thinks; he has always been wrong, so we mull over. With Butt in false ideas have prevailed: What is important to pursue the truth or to prevail? With Butt brashly sticking on to Pakistan cricket like a scrounger, I have no doubt where his real priorities lie.

I fail to understand that why the Patron of the PCB has not been able to believe that cricket makes a higher claim. It is a political tool it is presumably the only faint force that still could prompt people to stand-up for the now frazzling Pakistaniness amidst the quivering and quaking democratic government, rising inflation and country's alienation from the rest of the world. It is indeed surprising that President Asif Ali Zardari had asked the Governor of Sindh to abstain from resigning which he had contemplated in view of the target killings in Karachi; similarly President Zardari has been tolerating Ijaz Butt's absolutely anarchic, frenzied and an overwhelmingly disorganised cricket management; ICC has come to the point of abandoning Pakistan's full membership or the least imposing sanctions, in itself embarrassing and reprehensible for a country, the World Champions in 1992. What evidence else Mr President wants to get convinced sacking Butt?

Butt hasn't been able to register protests against his unproductive, ineffective and a regime full of stupidities he has eroded the spirit of the game and by doing so has denounced lofty ambitions of the people of Pakistan. Brazenly he appears on television mulling over eradicating corruption from the Pakistani game, also reiterating that ICC's recommendations would be fully implemented.

No wonder, in Pakistan cricket in the 1980s and early 1990s was a sport highly principled and structured activity, reflecting the conservatism of the nation at large, now Butt has effectively transformed it into something played by all sorts and familiar with annoyance, disagreement, controversy, bookies and dope. It comes to complete corrosion of cricket, which was our core diplomatic tool, where not the Foreign Secretary but Imran Khan was Pakistan's symbol of familiarity in the rest of the world?

Butt has convinced the ICC and other boards that Pakistan is raised in a knockabout way. Butt's teases with logicality are taunts for the passionate Pakistani's, and in spite of sweltering responses he shamelessly continues to frighten country's most prized product; Mr President knows that the current cricket regime is rotten he has been informed that Butt's continuation is wrong but it seems opinions at the Presidency vary about their relative importance. Until when Butt will coerce Pakistan cricket to live a double life, one of the glorious past and one delineating his exploitation and a sequence of incessant humiliation, a sequel to his being in power. Is Pakistan cricket ever going to be provided an opportunity to shine, a chance to emerge from the pack, to fulfill the dreams of the excited youth of this war-ridden country?

Hitherto Ijaz Butt's pathetic governance and feeble mindedness about his handling of the blight isn't reason enough for Asif Ali Zardari to sack him. Naivety could be part of the reason.

naumanniaz@hotmail.com