- Joined
- Oct 2, 2004
- Runs
- 218,123
Year 2019 will be remembered as a landmark year in Pakistan’s cricketing history.
It ended with the country taking a major stride in ensuring full resumption of international cricket in Pakistan as Sri Lanka played two Tests in Rawalpindi and Karachi in December. Prior to the Test series, Pakistan had staged eight HBL Pakistan Super League matches in Karachi in March, while Karachi and Lahore played host to Sri Lanka in white-ball cricket in September/October.
Furthermore, the revamp of the domestic structure led to riveting cricketing action on-field which renewed the fans’ interest in domestic events and various steps were taken to make the PCB a transparent corporate body.
On the field in 2019, Pakistan produced mixed results.
The men’s side lost four Tests in South Africa and Australia before ending win drought in Karachi, while it missed a place in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 semi-final by a fraction of a point after they ended up on equal points with losing finalists New Zealand. This performance came after they were swept aside by Australia and England in the lead up to the ICC’s pinnacle 50-over competition.
Pakistan emerging sides produced more consistent performances. The U19s won the series in Sri Lanka and South Africa, while the Emerging side won the ACC tournament in Bangladesh. Women were not too far behind and despite being on the losing end against England, they were impressive in their shows against the West Indies and South Africa.
The PCB got unprecedented recognition in the ICC with PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani, Chief Executive Wasim Khan and Senior Legal Counsel Barrister Salman Naseer sitting on five influential committees.
Implementation of the new PCB Constitution 2019 and rolling of transparency and accountability with the PCB uploading its Chairman’s Statement of Expenses and Benefits are the administrative achievements of the year.
Reviewing 2019, PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani said: “We had four objectives for this year and we have successfully met all of them.
“We had to reform our constitution, make the governance structure of the cricket board transparent, introduce corporate practices through clear delegation of duties and fully restore international cricket in Pakistan.
“The genesis of better on-field performances in international cricket is in domestic cricket. We have made massive investment in the revamping of our domestic structure in a very short time which has resulted in a very successful Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.
“The changes have brought forward some fundamental changes. The first-class matches have entered fourth day, which was previously missing. The pacers are not getting undue assistance anymore and this has brought spinners into play, which will address the issue of the lack of spinners.
“The PCB now enjoys unprecedented representation at international level as we became part of as many as five ICC committees this year.
“The biggest challenge for me was to get Sri Lanka to tour Pakistan. They took small steps in their return to the country by playing white-ball cricket here first.
“The biggest achievement for me was the two Tests we played against Sri Lanka at Rawalpindi and Karachi. It has sent out a message that Pakistan is safe and ready for international cricket and we will now build on it.
“We have to make cricket board more efficient and look forward at how we have to progress where there is value for money. We have to bring in more transparency and accountability and create an environment where we can work effectively.
“Our challenge is to bring consistency in our performances and deliver the results. Our players are professionals and the more they play the better they will deliver. These youngsters are extremely talented and they are the light at the end of tunnel, which has been evident by the recent performances.”
====
Quotes from Ehsan Mani:
“People did not know what was happening in the PCB before, now we publish accounts and even my own expenditure is published, so we are totally accountable to our stakeholders”
“We brought in a clear corporate structure where there was clear delegation of duties between Chairman and Operational team”
“This is why we brought in Wasim Khan who is an experienced cricket administrator and has a lot of credibility, he has graduated from Warwick Business School which is one of the top universities in the world”
“He has settled down and under Wasim Khan we are building a professional team”
“With the return of Test cricket to Pakistan, I can say that cricket (as a whole) has returned to Pakistan”
“When West Indies went back after series in January, they went back with a positive message for their Board and other countries too”
“We played 8 PSL matches in Karachi; This was due to security tensions which resulted in Lahore matches being shifted to Karachi”
“The wholehearted manner in which people of Karachi and the local administration made PSL their own, welcomed it and made it successful has no parallel; The message that went to the international community that Pakistan is ready for international cricket was powerful”
“Not only did foreign players come to Pakistan but foreign technicians and broadcasters also came here and none had any issues”
“Unfortunately, our performances before the World Cup in ODIs were not that good, we didn’t play that well in the first 3 games of the WC but after that we won all games”
“We did not qualify for the Semi-Final stage due to a lower run-rate; Now I do not say that our performance was acceptable, but fact is we kept on improving as time went by”
“Our tour of Australia was disappointing but what we took away from that was unless our pitches are not of an international competitive level, we will always struggle playing cricket away from home”
“This is why we have decided to bring in foreign pitch consultants so that we have pitches which mean that our players will not have issues when our side travels to Australia, South Africa and England”
"In Quaid-e-Azam Trophy we have made some changes such as idea of quality over quantity [number of teams], and use of Kookaburra balls; Now the ball is not favouring the bowlers so that instead of matches finishing in 2,3 days, they are going to 4 days"
“Lack of spinners is a challenge for Pakistan, and we have to work on that but that will only happen via improvements in domestic cricket”
“Wasim Khan is well respected around the world and as he has previously spent a lot of time in Australia, when he spoke to people there their comfort level about visiting Pakistan has gone up significantly”
“Now Wasim is in talks about regular A tours to Australia, England and South Africa as we struggle in these three countries”
“If our young players can get opportunities to play A cricket in these countries then that will really benefit Pakistan cricket”
“MCC side is coming to Pakistan and we are hoping that Bangladesh will also come to Pakistan” [This interview done at end of SL Test series]
“The best way to promote and develop cricket in Pakistan is through playing international cricket in the country”
“When our fans, who are the stakeholders in our cricket, see their players play here their passion for cricket will increase further”
“Its also a learning curve for our players who have not played Test cricket in Pakistan for 10 years”
“I believe that there is shortage of talent in Pakistan and I we will progress Pakistan cricket forward in the next 2 years”
“KPIs for Pakistan players would be around performing well and wining the series in England”
“There is a lot of cricket being played by Pakistan but the challenge for the team management and players is to bring consistency in our performances”
“In terms of light at the end of the tunnel, the way Naseem Shah bowled in the Karachi Test shows his potential”
“Pakistan is lacking in spinners and all-rounders; A gap has been created ever since Hafeez has gone and a few others too, and we have to fill that which is a challenge for the selectors”
“I had announced last year that next PSL will be played in Pakistan in full; I am hopeful that it will happen here and we have announced 2 new venues in Rawalpindi and Multan; I am hoping that in 2021 we will have six venues which will mean that each side will have their own home ground”
“Eventually the ownership of the PSL matches should be with the franchisees; They should have their home grounds, home support and followers, and that is how the value of the brand will go up”
“What I am really happy about is that 425 overseas players registered to play in PSL, and I cannot think of a bigger endorsement for Pakistan cricket. The answer for people asking if Pakistan is safe for cricket or not, can be found from this interest by overseas players”
“PSL has a role for Pakistan cricket but I what I want to do is to blend PSL with the rest of Pakistan domestic cricket; I am looking at this to see if we can bring the hype and enthusiasm of PSL in domestic cricket”
It ended with the country taking a major stride in ensuring full resumption of international cricket in Pakistan as Sri Lanka played two Tests in Rawalpindi and Karachi in December. Prior to the Test series, Pakistan had staged eight HBL Pakistan Super League matches in Karachi in March, while Karachi and Lahore played host to Sri Lanka in white-ball cricket in September/October.
Furthermore, the revamp of the domestic structure led to riveting cricketing action on-field which renewed the fans’ interest in domestic events and various steps were taken to make the PCB a transparent corporate body.
On the field in 2019, Pakistan produced mixed results.
The men’s side lost four Tests in South Africa and Australia before ending win drought in Karachi, while it missed a place in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 semi-final by a fraction of a point after they ended up on equal points with losing finalists New Zealand. This performance came after they were swept aside by Australia and England in the lead up to the ICC’s pinnacle 50-over competition.
Pakistan emerging sides produced more consistent performances. The U19s won the series in Sri Lanka and South Africa, while the Emerging side won the ACC tournament in Bangladesh. Women were not too far behind and despite being on the losing end against England, they were impressive in their shows against the West Indies and South Africa.
The PCB got unprecedented recognition in the ICC with PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani, Chief Executive Wasim Khan and Senior Legal Counsel Barrister Salman Naseer sitting on five influential committees.
Implementation of the new PCB Constitution 2019 and rolling of transparency and accountability with the PCB uploading its Chairman’s Statement of Expenses and Benefits are the administrative achievements of the year.
Reviewing 2019, PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani said: “We had four objectives for this year and we have successfully met all of them.
“We had to reform our constitution, make the governance structure of the cricket board transparent, introduce corporate practices through clear delegation of duties and fully restore international cricket in Pakistan.
“The genesis of better on-field performances in international cricket is in domestic cricket. We have made massive investment in the revamping of our domestic structure in a very short time which has resulted in a very successful Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.
“The changes have brought forward some fundamental changes. The first-class matches have entered fourth day, which was previously missing. The pacers are not getting undue assistance anymore and this has brought spinners into play, which will address the issue of the lack of spinners.
“The PCB now enjoys unprecedented representation at international level as we became part of as many as five ICC committees this year.
“The biggest challenge for me was to get Sri Lanka to tour Pakistan. They took small steps in their return to the country by playing white-ball cricket here first.
“The biggest achievement for me was the two Tests we played against Sri Lanka at Rawalpindi and Karachi. It has sent out a message that Pakistan is safe and ready for international cricket and we will now build on it.
“We have to make cricket board more efficient and look forward at how we have to progress where there is value for money. We have to bring in more transparency and accountability and create an environment where we can work effectively.
“Our challenge is to bring consistency in our performances and deliver the results. Our players are professionals and the more they play the better they will deliver. These youngsters are extremely talented and they are the light at the end of tunnel, which has been evident by the recent performances.”
====
Quotes from Ehsan Mani:
“People did not know what was happening in the PCB before, now we publish accounts and even my own expenditure is published, so we are totally accountable to our stakeholders”
“We brought in a clear corporate structure where there was clear delegation of duties between Chairman and Operational team”
“This is why we brought in Wasim Khan who is an experienced cricket administrator and has a lot of credibility, he has graduated from Warwick Business School which is one of the top universities in the world”
“He has settled down and under Wasim Khan we are building a professional team”
“With the return of Test cricket to Pakistan, I can say that cricket (as a whole) has returned to Pakistan”
“When West Indies went back after series in January, they went back with a positive message for their Board and other countries too”
“We played 8 PSL matches in Karachi; This was due to security tensions which resulted in Lahore matches being shifted to Karachi”
“The wholehearted manner in which people of Karachi and the local administration made PSL their own, welcomed it and made it successful has no parallel; The message that went to the international community that Pakistan is ready for international cricket was powerful”
“Not only did foreign players come to Pakistan but foreign technicians and broadcasters also came here and none had any issues”
“Unfortunately, our performances before the World Cup in ODIs were not that good, we didn’t play that well in the first 3 games of the WC but after that we won all games”
“We did not qualify for the Semi-Final stage due to a lower run-rate; Now I do not say that our performance was acceptable, but fact is we kept on improving as time went by”
“Our tour of Australia was disappointing but what we took away from that was unless our pitches are not of an international competitive level, we will always struggle playing cricket away from home”
“This is why we have decided to bring in foreign pitch consultants so that we have pitches which mean that our players will not have issues when our side travels to Australia, South Africa and England”
"In Quaid-e-Azam Trophy we have made some changes such as idea of quality over quantity [number of teams], and use of Kookaburra balls; Now the ball is not favouring the bowlers so that instead of matches finishing in 2,3 days, they are going to 4 days"
“Lack of spinners is a challenge for Pakistan, and we have to work on that but that will only happen via improvements in domestic cricket”
“Wasim Khan is well respected around the world and as he has previously spent a lot of time in Australia, when he spoke to people there their comfort level about visiting Pakistan has gone up significantly”
“Now Wasim is in talks about regular A tours to Australia, England and South Africa as we struggle in these three countries”
“If our young players can get opportunities to play A cricket in these countries then that will really benefit Pakistan cricket”
“MCC side is coming to Pakistan and we are hoping that Bangladesh will also come to Pakistan” [This interview done at end of SL Test series]
“The best way to promote and develop cricket in Pakistan is through playing international cricket in the country”
“When our fans, who are the stakeholders in our cricket, see their players play here their passion for cricket will increase further”
“Its also a learning curve for our players who have not played Test cricket in Pakistan for 10 years”
“I believe that there is shortage of talent in Pakistan and I we will progress Pakistan cricket forward in the next 2 years”
“KPIs for Pakistan players would be around performing well and wining the series in England”
“There is a lot of cricket being played by Pakistan but the challenge for the team management and players is to bring consistency in our performances”
“In terms of light at the end of the tunnel, the way Naseem Shah bowled in the Karachi Test shows his potential”
“Pakistan is lacking in spinners and all-rounders; A gap has been created ever since Hafeez has gone and a few others too, and we have to fill that which is a challenge for the selectors”
“I had announced last year that next PSL will be played in Pakistan in full; I am hopeful that it will happen here and we have announced 2 new venues in Rawalpindi and Multan; I am hoping that in 2021 we will have six venues which will mean that each side will have their own home ground”
“Eventually the ownership of the PSL matches should be with the franchisees; They should have their home grounds, home support and followers, and that is how the value of the brand will go up”
“What I am really happy about is that 425 overseas players registered to play in PSL, and I cannot think of a bigger endorsement for Pakistan cricket. The answer for people asking if Pakistan is safe for cricket or not, can be found from this interest by overseas players”
“PSL has a role for Pakistan cricket but I what I want to do is to blend PSL with the rest of Pakistan domestic cricket; I am looking at this to see if we can bring the hype and enthusiasm of PSL in domestic cricket”
Last edited:
