Cricket comes home: Najam Sethi in conversation with Peter Oborne
"Cricket for Pakistan was an expression of its independence, whereas it was different for the Indians. The Indians played cricket as an expression of their collaboration with the British." Photo: Abdullah Zafar
By Abdullah Zafar
Cricket is in the air.
As the ICC confirms the World XI’s visit to Pakistan for three T20s in Lahore, the city is running high on cricketing fever.
Following the same spirit, a discussion on cricket in Pakistan was organised by The Centre for Governance and Policy at the Information Technology University (ITU). Najam Sethi Chairman, Pakistan Cricket Board and Peter Oborne, a renowned British Journalist, and the author of “Wounded Tiger: A History of Cricket in Pakistan”, engaged at length on the subject on Friday afternoon.
During an informal conversation with the attendees, Peter Oborne said that it was yet another great experience to be back in Lahore, as for him it is the most beautiful and civilised city, that too, with an incredible sense of cricket.
Turning the pages of history, Oborne talked about the theme of cricket and its history in the South Asian subcontinent. He said that colleges such as Islamia College and Government College Lahore produced some of the finest test cricketers in the history of the nation, who were also a part of the Muslim League, and so thought of cricket as an act of resistance against the British.
“Cricket for Pakistan was an expression of its independence, whereas it was different for the Indians. The Indians played cricket as an expression of their collaboration with the British.”
He said cricket was played only in the cantonments of larger cities during the colonial times, but later proved to be a sport of people belonging to different classes. During the 1960s to 1970s - an era witnessing an explosion of cricket in Pakistan, when a number of brilliant players emerged from the middle class and urban areas, he said the sport also gained traction in rural areas of the country producing talented players.
“People from the rural areas of the country absolutely reinvented the game of cricket globally in the 1980s and 1990s, which has made Pakistan the most exciting team in the world for the last 30 years,” he said.
“Genius after genius, Pakistan invented new modes of playing including the reverse swing, the ‘Doosra’, and so on; and this is why I love coming to Pakistan, and I love Pakistan cricket,” he added.
When he was first appointed as the interim Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board, Najam Sethi said it was ‘probably in the worst managerial condition possible’. He said that political nominees had taken over the cricketing board, Cricket House located in Lahore – a building that could generate revenue worth millions was being used as a warehouse, the provincial capital of Sindh – Karachi, did not have a single National Academy and numerous other issues plagued the board.
Discussing the ongoing efforts by the PCB to restore quality cricket in Pakistan, he said that a budget has been sanctioned for the restoration of Karachi Stadium; world’s sixth biomechanical lab has been equipped with hi-tech machinery in Lahore, and after 8 long years a National Cricket Academy has finally been established in Karachi. Sethi said PSL is a great success that has also provided fresh blood to the sport, and has brought international cricket back to Pakistan, which, according to a faction that once existed, was “impossible”.
“There are two dimensions of cricket – managerial and cricketing, we are trying our best to merge the two and revitalise our cricket team.”
Sethi requested the support and patience of the people saying: “We will give you a team you’ll be proud of”.
Commenting about the security conditions in which the upcoming World XI series will be played, Sethi said that highly experienced international teams have been appointed by the board which have previously assured the best security for foreign players. The Pakistan Super League was just the first step, and now that the ICC has approved the arrangements made, he said the World XI series is the second step.
Sharing about his recent trip to Sri Lanka, Sethi said that he came across an opposition against the idea of the Sri Lankan team playing in Pakistan, and how they still couldn’t forget what had happened 8 years ago.
“My argument was that Pakistan was one of the few countries that continued to play in Sri Lanka even when terrorism was at rise over there. Now it is our time and we need you to visit Pakistan,” he said. Finally convincing them Sethi said that at least one T20 match, out of the three to be played against Sri Lanka in UAE next month, will be played in Lahore while the rest will be decided after the World XI’s tour.
He said that the foremost objective is to bring international cricket back to the country completely, and so a few of the PSL 2018 matches will be played in Karachi. The plan of action also includes taking the members of the World XI security team on a visit to the city where they will be shown presentations about Karachi being safer than what it was once - something the international community is not aware of.
After Sethi narrated how he ended being appointed as the chairman of the board following the Islamabad High Court verdict that ruled the PCB elections as rigged, he was asked why he was still heading the country’s cricket board if he was ‘pushed’ into it.
According to Sethi, a lot of things needed to be done, that he did. He said back then, he was popular for his ‘neutrality’ after the general elections of 2013, and hence was asked by the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to conduct a ‘fair and free election’ within the board.
When asked about sustainability of the cricketing board after him, he said that so far there has been only one formula on that count, and that has been to “sit and keep sitting”. But that is a formula for failure and not success, he added.
Throwing light on the board’s efforts for sustainability, Sethi said more than 150 people, who had political support and were not professionals, had been fired.
When asked about the importance of cricket as something more than a sport Oborne shared how important a role it has played in removing social barriers.
“Pakistan is one of the many countries that are divided by ethnic, religious, regional, all kinds of class divisions that pull a country apart. You may disagree with each other based on your individual preferences, but the cricket team is a fantastic uniting force, that unites all religions, the mountains and the plains and it has played a very important role in shaping Pakistan’s national consciousness and national identity.”
“My hope is that Pakistan cricket team will go from strength to strength, will keep on producing brilliant players and will be one of the greatest teams in the world”, he added.
For Sethi, however, cricket and war were two subjects which saw the nation stand united. “So as we consider war sacred, we should consider cricket sacred too,” he added.
“Due respect should be given not just to the players but also to the managers, the coaches, and most importantly to the ordinary people who want to watch the game.”
