IT was a strange situation for Pakistan`s cricket chief Ramiz Raja. Briefing the Senate Standing Committee on InterA Provincial Coordination this week, Mr Raja said that New Zealand had offered to reschedule the Pakistan tour it hastily abandoned last month. Committee members, however, asked him to turn down the offer in protest. But Mr Raja who had been advocating that Pakistan stand up to the world and put its own interests first after New Zealand`s exit was followed by England calling off their tour responded that Pakistan had to live with them. He also said that Pakistan would put forward its own terms to New Zealand for rearranging the tour. Regrettably, while further news of the tour being rescheduled might come next week, Pakistani fans will have to wait until November 2022 to see New Zealanders in action against their side. It will not repair the damage caused by the exit that New Zealand claimed was prompted by a security threat to the team. That had led to the England Cricket Board reneging on a commitment to send their team to Pakistan for the first time since 2005 as they cited concerns regarding the mental well-being of the British players. The decision, without taking into confidence the players or the players` association, came under immense criticism from the English press and led to under-fire ECB chief Ian Watmore tendering his resignation this week. Surprisingly, one of the names being mentioned as Mr Watmore`s replacement is that of Wasim Khan, who recently resigned as PCB chief executive when it became clear that he and PCB chairman Raja had differences of opinion in cricket matters.

With the two tours cancelled, it was the National T20 Cup which provided Pakistan players a chance to prepare themselves for this month`s Twenty20 World Cup. Player performances at the National T20 meant selectors had to reverse some questionable picks for the World Cup. That might be the silver lining to everything that Pakistan cricket has had to go through in the last month.