Selecting the Past

With the appointment of Haroon Rashid, it seems Pakistan cricket is not moving forward

So Haroon Rashid is back. When he was made convener of the selection committee (a misnomer as Convener is another title for Chief Selector which was Shahid Afridi), I had the feeling that he would play some role in future.

When Shahid Afridi showed he was his own man by not only not pressing for the newly named vice-captain Shan Masood to be included in the first eleven but also sounding off the chairman that it was a wrong decision and he should have been consulted, it was clear it would be parting of the ways soon.

To be fair to both Najam Sethi and Afridi, it had already been made clear he would be an interim chief selector for the New Zealand series of Tests and ODIs only.

But if there was any chance of an extension, it was culled by that statement from the former Pakistan captain known for his bluntness whether with the bat or the tongue.

That statement also must have made Najam Sethi and company to realize they need a compliant man as the head of the selection committee. And they don’t come more compliant than Haroon.

He remains a decent chap, honest and soft-spoken and argues rationally. But he is not someone who will resist pressure from the top, even for a nonsensical nomination, for exactly those personality attributes.

Of course, such attributes don’t necessarily imply submission. Rashid Latif has the same traits and remains his own man, willing and able to take on authority for what he thinks is right. Haroon on the other hand is someone who goes with the flow.

He has an eye for talent, yes. He was the one who had recommended Afridi when Pakistan team manager Salim Altaf called him to ask for a replacement due to injuries in a quadrangular tournament in Kenya.

Haroon was manager of the Pakistan U-19 team that was in the West Indies at the time and he’d made sure Afridi was selected for that team.

Now he told Salim Altaf that he was the best replacement possible even though he was earmarked for his leg spin. A few days later the teenager had smashed the world’s fastest ODI hundred in only his second ODI.

He will therefore be the Chairman’s (and Shakeel Sheikh’s) bidder with Babar Azam and will no doubt have his say in the final eleven, something that Afridi started with the Pakistan captain.

Except he will not be taking on the PCB chairman as Afridi did when he bluntly pointed out that Sharjeel had not been selected in the final squad (though he had been in the provisional 22) because the chairman had not given the green signal. Sethi, later on, had to point out that Shahid Afridi had not insisted on him either.

Afridi had his options in life and along with his fearless personality could take on anyone. Haroon does not have that facility and would not want to throw away a job by taking on the people who can replace him in the blink of an eye.

Sethi backs him for now and has done a wise thing by appointing him when there is no selection requirement till mid-March. Not only does it shut down the rumour mill which had thrown up ridiculous names like Kamran Akmal but it also gives him time officially to monitor his choices before his first assignment.

That would have been New Zealand in April but it now seems to be Afghanistan, if the Pakistan government allows the three matches that PCB and the Afghan board have put together immediately after PSL to go ahead.

On that point, Sethi announced that although the Afghans had proposed three ODIs he has convinced them to play three T20s instead.

The logic is that it won’t affect either country’s standing, in terms of qualification for the 2023 ODI World Cup later this year. But playing ODIs instead of T20s would have allowed Haroon and company to play some fresh names that many believe should play for Pakistan in ODIs and more specifically the coming world cup.

Batters like Kamran Ghulam and Tayyab Tahir were unfortunate to miss out on selection for the New Zealand ODIs despite being considered good enough to be included in the squad. And bowlers like Shahnawaz Dahani and Abrar Ahmed to see their depth in the longer of the two shorter formats.

The ACC Initiative

Off the field, the major development has been the calling of the ACC meeting on the initiative taken by PCB, more specifically Sethi.

It was necessary and the networking capabilities of Najam Sethi have made it possible. He may have his downsides but he remains a smooth operator.

I’m sure that a few phone calls to the members of the ACC — who do remain under the influence of the Indian cricket board — had its desired effect.  What happens though on February 4 in Bahrain will require even greater diplomatic and negotiation skills from Najam Sethi.

I do not think India will budge unless the current government’s olive branch to the government gets New Delhi to soften its stance of coming to Pakistan for the Asia Cup.

Until the time Imran Khan and then Ramiz Raja were at the helm, this was unthinkable. BCCI also knows that it can have no negative repercussions as no member or the ACC board itself can ever penalize India for not honouring its commitment to the ACC and playing wherever the tournament is scheduled.

As such, there is not much Sethi can do if India sticks to its decision not to come to Pakistan and to ask this year’s tournament to be shifted out to a neutral venue.

Without India, the major sponsors will not even bother to discuss a package and since the tournament is to be funded by the ACC, they won’t put their own money in to compensate.

Sethi can of course take them on by saying PCB will fund the teams and also have them covered by PCB-appointed broadcasters. Or pay the ones that ACC appoints. After that, whether India does not come, won’t matter financially.

What the ACC can do to thwart such a move is to say that if the tournament is played at a neutral venue they will make a profit and that it is part of their cash flow projections.

Can the PCB then offer to put in the ACC coffers the projected profits from this year’s tournament? That will be a big call and though the PCB has Rs. 5-6 billion in its account, I don’t think they will write a cheque to ACC to make up for that also.

On the coaching front, Sethi revealed in his press conference earlier this week that the option of Mickey Arthur has not been closed. This is despite Arthur himself having tweeted that he has regretted that he cannot join as a coach.

As I wrote last week and would like to reiterate, continuing to publicly announce that the PCB remains adamant to appoint a person who has refused does not give PCB a good image. In fact, it tarnishes it.

If Sethi is still trying to rope in Mickey, just do it quietly, even though I say again the best way to go about appointing anyone to any position is to advertise it.

In fact, as an organization under the patronage of the Prime Minister, it is lawfully bound to advertise for any position. And it has been doing so under Ehsan Mani and subsequent to a change in the constitution under Wasim Khan and then Ramiz.

But even if Sethi wants to go about it himself and pick who he wants to talk to, let’s not announce it publicly. As he has rightly said he will not give away Pakistan’s stance at the forthcoming ACC meeting; that is for him to keep up his sleeve.

Then why talk about Mickey publicly and announce that 90% of the discussion points have been resolved. I’m not sure how much Arthur has taken the Derbyshire management into confidence but if he hasn’t this could cause consternation in their offices that they may not have Arthur this summer.

And given he is inclined towards taking up the job, imagine how much he will demand, not just in terms of money but authority and bringing in his bowling, batting and fielding coaches and medical and training staff?

He can actually get more money out of PCB for them than they may be worth, simply because PCB knows that if they don’t agree he won’t himself join as a coach.

If Sethi is adamant to bring in a coach from outside Pakistan then try someone like Yasir Arafat (now a British citizen settled there) who has just completed level 4 certification. Or is it that he thinks being of Pakistani blood and like Saqlain, he will continue with the favouritism and nepotism that the former off-spinner is indirectly accused of?

I just feel that where PM Shahbaz Shareef invokes so much patriotism in his speeches to then say that a foreigner is the only solution is saddening.

At least get a Pakistani-born and bred who is foreign-trained and has been away from the current set of cricketers to have his favourites.

Or is it that Najam Sethi wants to bring back everyone who worked under him whether coach, chief selector or the security head.

When he appointed Afridi as Chief Selector, I felt that he is looking forward and moving with the times, no matter whether the former Pakistan captain was the best man for the job or not. It was a fresh face. But it seems now that the more things move forward the more they stay in the past.

(Sohaib Alvi has been covering cricket at home and abroad for over 40 years as columnist, editor, analyst, TV expert/host. An MBA from IBA he has simultaneously had a 35-year career in the corporate sector, having worked in C-Suite positions. He now advises clients on leadership, business strategy, marketing and organizational planning.)