ESPITE all the crises and controversies the game in Pakistan has had to endure during the past week, it seems that the powers that be in cricket are once again ready to hoodwink the nation by effecting mere cosmetic changes rather than carrying out a post-mortem. While the blundering skipper Shahid Afridi and head coach Waqar Younis have resigned in the aftermath of the World T20 debacle in India, it is indeed ironic that none of the top cricket board officials have shown the willingness to step down, not even to announce an overhaul. In the latest move, the selection committee has been dispensed with, while a two-man team comprising ex-skippers Rameez Raja and Wasim Akram have been formed to look for a new coach preferably a foreigner. There is also a preposterous report doing the rounds that the next cricket team camp could be overseen by Pakistan Army personnel.

The harsh truth is that the PCB needs to put its own house in order first. The leak of confidential reports by Waqar Younis and manager Intikhab Alam itself calls for desperate measures. Many critics argue that the leak could well have been a deliberate move to pit certain players and officials against each other and eliminate their chances of future board appointments. Besides, several news conferences have had players and officials recklessly airing their opinion, showing the deplorable lack of discipline in cricketing ranks. Such events have put the top two PCB bosses Chairman Shaharyar Khan and Executive Committee head Najam Sethi under the spotlight. A number of explayers and critics have cited a confused chain of command as causing the most damage to the game in recent months, with the two men often operating on different levels altogether on key issues. In real terms, Pakistan is languishing at a dismal eighth and seventh spot in the ICC ODI and T20 rankings respectively after a series of inglorious campaigns in world cricket. It is true that Pakistan`s case has been made worse by the threat of terrorism, which means there are no home series and this has consequently hampered the development of the game. If only the PCB had a robust governance system in place instead of ad hocism, if only it had invested in a proper domestic structure with player academies, sports medicine, excellent coaching and a competent marketing team, the situation would have been much better, despite the country`s adverse circumstances.