"I feel that some people are scared of change" : Wasim Khan

[Abdullah719]

Wasim Khan, the former Chief Executive of Leicestershire County Cricket Club, has now spent over three months in his new role as Managing Director at the PCB and gained a first-hand understanding of the myriad of issues facing Pakistan cricket.

In an exclusive interview with PakPassion.net, Wasim Khan spoke about settling down in Lahore, the issues faced in implementing changes at the PCB, reforms in Pakistan's domestic structure, restoration of international cricket in Pakistan, the possibilities of a bilateral series against India and Pakistan's chances in the ongoing World Cup.

<img src="https://i.imgur.com/9F8TXQJ.jpg" width="750">​

PakPassion.net: How has the experience been of settling down in Pakistan?

Wasim Khan: It’s been an excellent experience and I am glad to say that my family are moving out full-time to Lahore at the end of July this year. As for me, I have been in Lahore for almost three months now and have done quite a bit of travelling as well and have been to Karachi, Islamabad and also spent a bit of time in Peshawar too. Part of my remit is to get out and about in Pakistan as well, and I am loving the life in Lahore as it's very different but culturally rich so, yes, I am really enjoying myself in Pakistan.


PakPassion.net: Are you enjoying the challenges that you are facing at the PCB?

Wasim Khan: I am absolutely enjoying it. I knew that it would be a big challenge and I did go in with my eyes wide open and I am relishing every part of it. There are never any fun and easy jobs and the challenges come when you are fighting for something you believe in. Certainly, in terms of the vision of where we wish to take Pakistan cricket in the next five years, this is a very exciting time and I am privileged to be given the opportunity to drive that forward.


PakPassion.net: How tough has it been to implement your ideas and convince your colleagues about their effectiveness?

Wasim Khan: Firstly, let me say that there is always a danger when you come in and try and change things too quickly in any organisation. The Pakistani culture, like most others, does not like change but you just need to take your time and see firstly what your quick wins are. The key for me is to try and convince people in the PCB about why we need to go in a certain direction and then take them with you, rather than force my ideas on them as all that does is create resistance. That’s pretty much been my strategy, right from the word go. At the moment, we’re busy on reforming the domestic structure where we are looking at a six-province setup which is something Prime Minister Imran Khan is really keen on himself. But that is a radical change, and have we had 40-50 years of departments and regions operating teams and now, we are moving in a slightly different direction. That change is naturally causing a bit of a concern to a lot of people but ultimately the goal is to do what is right for Pakistan cricket.


PakPassion.net: Have you been surprised by the levels of resistance to change from some individuals in the Pakistan cricket establishment?

Wasim Khan: I haven’t been surprised by the reactions by some to our proposals. I feel that some people are scared of change. Rather than change itself, its more about the worry they have which is common in most cultures and it boils down to the following. Whenever a change happens, people start to become a little bit nervous as they feel that ultimately, somewhere along the line it will affect them and their jobs. So, I knew that there would be some resistance and I had been advised about what to expect in this regard and it seems that the advice has proven correct in every way.


PakPassion.net: What are your views on the best way forward for the issue of the reform of domestic cricket in Pakistan?

Wasim Khan: Well, I think we are moving ahead now and looking ahead at the six-provincial teams structure. I feel that in any high-performing domestic structure around the world, you need to have stress in the system. We currently have 16 domestic teams involved in Pakistan domestic cricket which does make it a lot tougher. And so, we would like to move to a structure of six provincial teams, with a second XI of six that sits underneath that. We would have city-based competitions that feed into your provinces and then below that you would have the 2-Day club cricket setup. That is the kind of structure we are looking to implement, and I genuinely believe that this could work and will create high-quality cricket in Pakistan. As a consequence of this change, you will have the best 66 players playing for the first teams in terms of provincial cricket and I think Pakistan cricket will benefit from it.


PakPassion.net: In our last conversation, you spoke about your intent to professionalise the Pakistan Cricket Board. Has that journey started?

Wasim Khan: Yes, definitely we are well on our way as far as the objective of professionalisation of the PCB is concerned. In Ehsan Mani we have a great person in charge as our Chairman. Just the little things like having clarity around job descriptions, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for staff are some of the things that are being put in place by him. If you don’t have such measures in place, you cannot have accountability. Also, if you allow people grey-areas in their job roles then they will take that any day of the week because if there are grey-areas, then there is no accountability. So, what I am trying to do, is to streamline all that and put clarity around job descriptions for everybody and making sure that there are clear objectives over the next 12 months about what people have to deliver. Let me tell you that when I first walked into my role, I addressed the staff and said that look working for the PCB should be a privilege and not an entitlement. If I don’t do my job properly, then I don’t expect to have my job, so delivery is what everyone gets paid to do. You don’t just get paid to do a job, rather you get paid to achieve and deliver something. For me, accountability should be part and parcel of everybody’s job and that is something we will have in place in the next month or two.


PakPassion.net: Has Prime Minister Imran Khan offered any advice to Ehsan Mani and yourself?

Wasim Khan: Ehsan Mani has probably spent more time with the Prime Minister than I have, and they do speak quite often. My job really is to get on with it and put the plans in place. There is obviously a big piece of work we have to do to get international cricket back into Pakistan again as well as implementing domestic reforms and restructuring domestic cricket too. So, there are a number of areas we are looking at including the Pakistan Super League where we are looking to bring the whole PSL back to Pakistan for the next edition which will take place in February 2020.


PakPassion.net: Are there any further updates on international tours to Pakistan?

Wasim Khan: We are due to play Sri Lanka in a home series in late September to early October of this year. We will start discussions with them very soon and we are very hopeful that they will come and play in Pakistan. To reiterate, we are yet to have any official conversations with Sri Lanka Cricket regarding playing our home series later this year in Pakistan, but the fact is that we have a very good relationship with SLC as demonstrated by the postponement based on mutual understanding of the Pakistan Under-19 tour in response to the terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka. The fact is that Sri Lanka Cricket has always been there for us when we have needed them so I am hoping that come the time for discussions for them potentially touring Pakistan, they will be very receptive to that idea.


PakPassion.net: Has there been any progress on discussions with the BCCI for the restoration of cricket ties with India?

Wasim Khan: Nothing as yet has materialised on contacts with BCCI for playing series against India. There is certainly no resistance from our side, and we are open to that. If we need to play a Test series in England against India for example, we will be very very open to that idea and we would also be fine if they wish to play in any other neutral venues. The sad part is that we play India in ICC tournaments but when it comes to bilateral One-Day or Test series, they won’t play against us. The fact is that sport is a great way of bringing people together and there are great friendships between Indian and Pakistan players. Cricket is a passion in both countries and it’s a great shame that people are being denied on both sides of the border of what is probably the greatest sporting contest in the world. However, we are hopeful that at some stage we can re-open those conversations and start playing Test cricket and ODIs against each other again.


PakPassion.net: Have any discussions happened with the ECB regarding some India-Pakistan games being played in England?

Wasim Khan: No discussions have taken place in this regard at the moment. In terms of precedence, we know that in the past Pakistan has played Australia in a Test series in England. The ECB are very supportive of helping Pakistan cricket and if we believe that the proposal to play games against Pakistan in England is something the BCCI would be open to, we would then begin negotiations with the ECB on this subject. We are open to playing against India in England or anywhere else in a bilateral series. There is no reluctance on our side, we will play India anywhere.


PakPassion.net: How do you rate Pakistan’s chances in the 2019 World Cup?

Wasim Khan: I feel that we are ultra-competitive, and we have as good a chance of winning the title as any other participating team. Mickey Arthur and his staff have worked very hard with the players at a camp for about three and a half weeks prior to arriving in England. We also rested eight players during the ODI series against Australia and they have now come back into the side, and they are fresh and ready to go. People seem to forget that these guys aren’t robots and that they have been on the road since September of last year and have been living in hotels, day-in and day-out and they needed a rest at some point. So, the players are pretty fresh and we are very fortunate that we played a five ODIs series against England before the main tournament for the guys to acclimatise and get themselves ready.


PakPassion.net: Does Mickey Arthur’s future with the Pakistan side rest upon what happens at the World Cup?

Wasim Khan: It’s no secret that we want to win the World Cup and do very well. But the PCB are very keen to wait until after the World Cup to see how we move forward. We have the Test Championship starting in September as well to think about and Mickey Arthur’s done a tremendous job for Pakistan cricket turning our fortunes around with the Champions Trophy in 2017, and we are at the number one position in ICC’s T20I Rankings. So, a lot of good stuff has happened with Mickey Arthur in charge, but his position is for the board to consider at the end of the World Cup. The fact is that Pakistan cricket moving forward is about delivering and also winning and that will certainly be the focus during the World Cup, and we will reassess the situation regarding renewals of contracts at the end of that tournament.

 

[Hawkeye]

This is great.

We must have accountability in the PCB, there has been none.

These whales will also be resistant to change, hopefully things will change despite the resistance.

PCB needs to run like a private high performance organization.

 

[Saj]

Met Wasim at Trent Bridge the other day and had a good chat with him.

He's got some great ideas and plans and is really focused on improving Pakistan cricket - let's see if those at the PCB allow that to happen.

He's already sorted a few out which is not going down too well in the corridors of power at PCB.

 

[PakLFC]

Most people are afraid of change in life. They are so used to being in their comfort zone that any change scares them. If we want to improve Pak Cricket then a new direction is needed meaning taking a risk or two.

 

[Caved12]

Met Wasim at Trent Bridge the other day and had a good chat with him.

He's got some great ideas and plans and is really focused on improving Pakistan cricket - let's see if those at the PCB allow that to happen.

He's already sorted a few out which is not going down too well in the corridors of power at PCB.

It is going to be a very tough job as half of them, have been busy filling their pockets and think that this is how it should be. They all have big connections, but that's where Imran Khan comes in to play where he must ensure that Wasim Khan is given all the power and support, so he can prove and improve.

 

[SensiblePakFan]

Scared of removal of status quo, aka money

 

[DRsohail]

[MENTION=79064]MMHS[/MENTION] very good idea of 6 team with 2nd teams looks like things will move in right directions.

 

[mak36]

Met Wasim at Trent Bridge the other day and had a good chat with him.

He's got some great ideas and plans and is really focused on improving Pakistan cricket - let's see if those at the PCB allow that to happen.

He's already sorted a few out which is not going down too well in the corridors of power at PCB.

Saj, has he said anything about improving pitches?

Nothing will change until that is done.

 

[mak36]

All this talk about whether six teams is enough is something of a red herring; it completely ignores the fact that there will be a 2nd XI Competition = 12 teams in total. That is more than enough.

The key is ensuring the 2nd XI competition plays at the same time as the First Class teams (to avoid recycling of the same names).

 

[Fantasy]

Saj, has he said anything about improving pitches?

Nothing will change until that is done.

He has talked a lot about the conditions of the pitches in Pakistan in the recent interviews if you have listened a bit of him lately like his interview with PTV World (you can find it on youtube) or his interview with BBC or in the podcast with Wisden.

I was particularly impressed with his home work actually. He talked about the low scores in the 1st innings in the QeA trophy matches and give some stats about that. Talked about not producing fast bowlers, wrist spinners or off spinners and there haven’t been a leg spinner or an off spinner in the top 40 bowlers in the last two seasons of QeA trophy (this year only 2 off spinners) and talked about that as a huge factor of not producing great cricketers until we don’t give them better surfaces.

He has talked about the issues and now need to walk the talk...

 

[Fantasy]

All this talk about whether six teams is enough is something of a red herring; it completely ignores the fact that there will be a 2nd XI Competition = 12 teams in total. That is more than enough.

The key is ensuring the 2nd XI competition plays at the same time as the First Class teams (to avoid recycling of the same names).

I agree 100 percent.

We have seen same players playing in the QeA trophy as well as grade 2 cricket as well for regions and departments which is detrimental to their growth and also their team. You take an example of Faisalabad they played grade 2, they were led by Misbah and they had 9 players in the playing XI and they qualified for QeA trophy. Now when QeA trophy starts these players will play for their respective departments and the region has to almost make a completely new team for QeA trophy leaving them with no option and they are surely going to relegate and the cycle continues.This is not the fault of the players but the broken system that needs overhauling and they are doing the right thing.

 

[Hasan123]

Good interview. Want to see the change before doing banghra. Talking is easy. We need the action to improve our cricket.

 

[Abu_Hamza]

Is his appointment been approved???

 

[IAJ]

Moving Whole Family to Lahore could be risky given how quick things change in Pakistan, but let's hope for his sake he can work till his tenure ends.

 

[faraz39]

Is his appointment been approved???

You mean by the people who want to maintain the status quo of mediocrity?

 

[Bewal Express]

The one thing that cant happen is the 6 teams are full of guys in their late 20`s and early 30`s. And we need need new selectors, not recycled hacks who owe favours.

 

[DRsohail]

The one thing that cant happen is the 6 teams are full of guys in their late 20`s and early 30`s. And we need need new selectors, not recycled hacks who owe favours.

Yes there should be age limit in team selection.

 

[Abu_Hamza]

You mean by the people who want to maintain the status quo of mediocrity?

Ya whoever they are. It was to be approved by the board of governors and they had disapproved his appoinment..So whats the latest update. I dont think he has been officially appointed if it has to go through that process. Its still hanging in balance.

 

[Afhan Ali]

Mr Wasim!
Look at our FTP
Please do something for FTP also we are rapidly becoming a minnow team with these type of FTP ( alot T20, lesser ODI and Tests )

 

[Boi]

He’s the only semblance of hope right now. If we’re let down by even this PCB regime then as fans we should really just give up.

 

[Saj]

Saw him yesterday at Old Trafford - didn't look too happy with proceedings.

 

[PakWarrior]

Saw him yesterday at Old Trafford - didn't look too happy with proceedings.

I think now he knows that wholesale changes from top to bottom needed in Pakistani cricket.

 

[Savak]

Wasim Khan interview before Pak India game

Pakistan Cricket – Past, Present and Future - Wasim Khan – MD Pakistan Cricket Board

by Alastair Symondson & Cricket World Friday 14 June 2019

Alastair Symondson, Head of Media at Cricket World , caught up with the recently installed MD of the Pakistan Cricket Board, during the early stages of the ICC Cricket World Cup , in England.

Tell us a bit about your start and plans for the future

I’ve been in the role for 5 months now, it’s been pretty full on and hectic as you would expect. Bits of advice I was given before I started the job, which kind of prepared me very well for the role.

One thing that became pretty apart when I started was there is a big link between the sport itself and a big politic agenda if you like, from many many people.

It can be something with the likes of Ehsan Mani, who is a very knowledgeable and experienced cricket administer and human being in general. He has helped me manoeuvre myself through all that and come out the other end.

It’s been pretty relentless with the media attention on you, and the fact I’m a British born Pakistani coming into Pakistan. All the things I was told were come up, have come up, so I was pretty prepared for this role. The key thing for me was to try and take the organisation forward and to contribute.

We’re now putting a 5 year plan together, which the PCB didn’t have, getting performances management processes in place, making sure we have people in the right places - all the usual stuff you would do coming in as a leader into a new organisation. But also buzz off the energy that is there, it’s been tough in many ways but it’s been so fulfilling already with so many great opportunities to do great things.

What can you say to people on their fears for Pakistan cricket on domestic and international level?

I think our domestic game has been decaying for a number of years, and it’s not really been halted, and where we find ourselves now in international cricket is probably an indictment of what goes on at the domestic level.

Wickets are by and large poor in domestic cricket, there hasn’t been a great structure to what we do. The regions and the departments have done a great job in terms of being right at the forefront of domestic cricket.

Things change, and things have to change if we want to move on and be a competing force again, particularly in Test cricket, then we need to create some stress in the system. At the minute we have sixteen teams, eight in division one and eight that operate at a different level.

We don’t have a lot of stress in the system, I can’t remember the last time somebody scored a double hundred in first class cricket. We had 25 innings of scores of less than a hundred in first class cricket in the last domestic season. The top 40 wicket takers there was no spinners or out and out fast bowlers in that.

That in its self tells you a lot, in terms of the types of wickets, facilities and infrastructure there is currently. One thing we do want to get across is I’ve come in with no baggage or preconceived ideas on what’s right or wrong. So, I’ve come in with the point of whatever we do is right for the domestic game in Pakistan.

Yes, there is lots of models to look at and we can certainly learn from what others are doing, but the system we put in place has to be right for Pakistan cricket. We’re moving down the route of 6 provinces, were looking to set up 2nd XIs that sit under that, were looking at city cricket that sits under that.

Round about 75 cities, we have 110 districts which will be converted into a city based competition. Then were looking at club cricket, to strengthen club cricket, so there is a number of levels were looking at.

Will it run smoothly in year one from October, probably not, there will be teething problems and things we will learn and get right for the following season. From our point of view what we’re not going to do is stand still and let Pakistan cricket go its own way and political agendas come to the forefront.

A lot of the arguments you see aren’t actually arguments that provide any evidence of how good domestic cricket currently is and why we shouldn’t change it. The counter arguments don’t have a lot to do with domestic cricket and the playing of the game,

We understand there is sensitivity around employment of cricketers, a lot of cricketers have been employed by departments. The PCB have funded huge amounts of money to regional teams without them really generating any funds themselves. There has been little accountability to how those funds have been spent and that’s something we’re changing going forward.

We want to empower the regions, the 6 provinces, to become self-sufficient. We need to decentralise quite a lot as the PCB, because we do fund a huge amount of cricket from groundsman to coaches, cleaners at all the international grounds.

We need to put a system in place so we can empower the provinces, decentralise and start looking at where else we can spend money, making sure they’re self-sufficient. Get good governing processes that include marketing people, accountants, legal people that can help them run a system there that will help them run the domestic game.

Your 66 top players will be playing across those 6 provinces in first class cricket and make it ultra competitive and create real stress in the system so we have high quality, best pitches and improve coaching, medical teams across all the 6 provinces.

When you create a whole system change people get nervous, so the reaction is not something I didn’t expect. We’ve seen in England with 100 ball people are resistant to change and frightened to what it might mean for them. But when you get beyond that and put a cricket case forward about why change is needed eventually people buy into what you’re trying to do because they know it’s what’s right for the domestic game.

The new province cricket will start from this October?

Yes, were looking to implement that from October and done a huge amount of work around that. We genuinely believe it’s the right way to go, there is a lot of noise on the outside about arguments that don’t equate to the quality of cricket itself and based on all the peripheral things.

I rest my head on the pillow every night knowing whatever decisions were making were doing what’s right for the domestic game in Pakistan. We currently produce cricketers who play for Pakistan, what we need to do is create Pakistan cricketers. There is a subtle difference, we need to create a system that works from bottom up, right up to the top level.

Then when we get the players coming into international cricket, they’re well prepared, well drilled, they know what is expected in international cricket and ready to perform at the highest stage.

Is the PSL looking to be brought back to Pakistan and played in its entirety from next season?

That’s certainly the plan, I think it’s critical for the nation that the whole of the PSL comes back to the country. I think people have been starved of high-quality cricket for a long time, it has been documented with no international cricket in prior years.

To bring back and see full stadiums, like we saw in Karachi with 40,000 odd people at every game we know the demand is there and people have been starved of cricket. We need to start showcasing our local heroes and role models to the next generation to inspire them to take up the game as well, which is critical for the sustainability for Pakistan cricket.

In terms of the economy in Pakistan, it would just give the country a huge lift, if we had the PSL at 3 or 4 venues it would just spread the game and high-quality cricket across the whole country.

How are discussions with the ICC going?

The ICC have supported us by helping us support costs for an independent security organisation to work with us, to provide independent reports to all the countries, and they’re a well-recognised and respected organisation in the game.

That’s there to provide us with reassurances that we’re doing the right things and also help train us up to upscale our teams back at the PCB and in the game. We had a very successful PSL, we played 8 games back there, there was a World Series back in 2017, we had the West Indies women come, Sri Lanka men, West Indies men coming as well.

We have already evidenced that the main cities have been incident free for a while now, a lot of the issues are confined to certain parts such as Kashmir. We’ve seen through Sri Lanka and New Zealand nowhere in the world is safe now, from our point of view we have to stay on our guard to make sure that everything we do we do to the highest quality and safety.

When people ask me about my experiences it’s interesting the perception is ‘Are you safe there?’ and I haven’t felt safer anywhere else in the world. There have been no issues at all, Micky Arthur and the other white support staff travel freely in Lahore and across the country.

I’m going to the airport in Karachi, there are backpackers everywhere, Germans or Australians who have been travelling for a month and I’ll make a B line to go and talk to them about their experiences.

They talk about how amazing it’s been and their perception of Pakistan before they arrived and how they’re now going to start talking about the reality of being in the country.

All we can do is keep beating the drum, Sri Lanka are due to play a home series against us in Pakistan in September/October and we’ll begin discussions with them post World Cup.

We will invite the key people over and the security managers to come and have a look at our plans and what we’re offering with the view of them agreeing to come in September/October. We’ve got Bangladesh in January so we will open discussions with them.

The country is ready now to host top flight international cricket again, but we need to keep taking one step at a time; convincing Sri Lanka is our first step. International cricket is needed or cricket will slowly die out in the country, for us and our players to be playing in front of one man and his dog in UAE doesn’t do a great deal for test cricket.

In terms of from a financial point of view, it costs us a huge amount of money to play matches in the UAE with very little return, so the economics don’t work either and it’s haemorrhaging us. We need cricket back, and it’s small steps for us, and we know we’ve got a lot of work to do on that but it’s my job and Ehsan’s job to show what we can offer as a nation.

India v Pakistan coming up, how's the team and dressing room?

I spoke to Micky this morning and he said the guys have trained very well in between the showers and the rain. The guys are in a really good place and are very passionate about their country and performing for their country.

We have to make sure we can keep supporting them and put the right infrastructures in place in terms of their education, training and anything we can provide them.

The great thing about sport, and particularly cricket, it is like a religion it’s more than just the game itself but we do have to keep things in perspective it’s not a war it’s a game of cricket. Whilst it provides bragging rights to the other nation for winning, I’d happily lose to India and win the World Cup.

I think ultimately we have to keep our eye on the bigger goal, India have done really well in terms of having the rub of the green against Pakistan and managed to deal with it as another game. Where as perhaps the feedback from our guys have put too much pressure on themselves, India are a quality side and can beat anyone on their day and we will have to be out our best if we want to get a positive result out of that game.

Pakistan v England final, who do you support?

Didn’t Norman Tebbitt ask this question years ago, does the Tebbitt test still exist? The question I would ask is, within England people with Scottish or Irish heritage who they support when England play Ireland or Scotland, I know the answer to that.

It’s very interesting because I saw Michael Vaughan during the Cardiff T20 game, about four or five weeks ago and it was the last day of the football season, and Vaughny got out his car and shouted out “Who you supporting today then?” and I said Birmingham city mate, big game.

My loyalty is clearly with Pakistan, I’m the MD there and trying to contribute and move Pakistan cricket forward. Obviously, a lot of history and my roots are still here in England. I’d have to want us (Pakistan) to win, that’s where my loyalties lie now.

Lastly, Imran Khan, is it a good thing for cricket in Pakistan to have an ex international cricketer as a Prime Minister?

I think it’s only a positive thing, he’s a smart man and very knowledgeable about cricket. He certainly makes suggestions but doesn’t impose his ideas on anybody and Ehsan has found that to be a great level of support for him coming into his job.

Similarly, with myself knowing Imran is at the helm of the country was a big persuading factor for me to come and know what he was trying to do with the country and if we could replicate that within the cricket board. Politics and cricket are the two biggest things in the country and the PCB is probably one of the most well-known institutions in the country.

Having the PM as a patron I think is a very positive thing, as I say he isn’t as hands on with the day to day stuff as you would expect with the cricket but we know where he is if you need to bounce anything off him or get his views on certain things.

When you’re involved in a sport and the prime minister has played that sport, it can only be a good thing.

©Cricket World 2019

Link: https://www.cricketworld.com/pakist...asim-khan-md-pakistan-cricket-board/56998.htm

 

[Mueez]

Refreshing comments to read.

I sincerely hope he can turn around things.

Good luck Wasim!

 

[Syed1]

Thanks for sharing. Wasim we are eagerly waiting for you to perform. What you say gives me hope. So new system from October? Inshallah it'll lift up our minnow team.

 

[Markhor]

Thanks for sharing. Wasim we are eagerly waiting for you to perform. What you say gives me hope. So new system from October? Inshallah it'll lift up our minnow team.

Will be worth tuning into the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy for a change. However it needs to be staged on quality pitches but that's beyond the capability of most of the farmers posing as curators in Pakistani domestic cricket.

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

We currently produce cricketers who play for Pakistan, what we need to do is create Pakistan cricketers. There is a subtle difference, we need to create a system that works from bottom up, right up to the top level.

This my friends is the reason India trashed us like school kids and why even Bangladeshis, Afghanis are beating us.

Finally somebody got it! Instead of chopping changing coaches, captains or blaming internal politics.

 

[Syed1]

Will be worth tuning into the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy for a change. However it needs to be staged on quality pitches but that's beyond the capability of most of the farmers posing as curators in Pakistani domestic cricket.

Can have the best domestic system in the world but if selectors are corrupt and incompetent then nothing will happen.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Can have the best domestic system in the world but if selectors are corrupt and incompetent then nothing will happen.

I disagree. If enough talent starts coming through the ranks then selection won’t matter

 

[the Great Khan]

Can have the best domestic system in the world but if selectors are corrupt and incompetent then nothing will happen.

nope..if your system is strong selectors get an easy life...although they did ignore fawad alam so you may have a point..

 

[Pete Rose]

nope..if your system is strong selectors get an easy life...although they did ignore fawad alam so you may have a point..

khan sb, Fawad is the exception rather than norm. I dont see him playing cricket in any domestic set up barring pakistan: leagues excluded.

 

[Firebat]

PCB announces departure of Shafiq Ahmed

Lahore, 25 June 2019:

The Pakistan Cricket Board today announced the departure of former Test cricketer and General Manager – Domestic Cricket Operations, Mr Shafiq Ahmed.

Shafiq, 70, played six Tests and three ODIs from 1974 to 1980 before joining the PCB in April 2007.

PCB Managing Director Wasim Khan thanked Mr Shafiq Ahmed for his services. “Shafiq has been one of the most loyal and committed servants of the game, previously as a cricketer and more recently as an administrator. He has made valuable contributions to the PCB for which we all are grateful to him.

“We thank him for his hard work and efforts, and wish him well in his future endeavours.”

Shafiq Ahmed said: “This is an end to what has been an exciting and amazing innings with the PCB. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Gaddafi Stadium. The best part of my time at the cricket headquarters was giving back and serving the sport I am passionate about.

“I am thankful to all my former and current colleagues for their support, and hope the PCB and Pakistan cricket will continue to grow stronger.”

In an unrelated matter and as part of the National Cricket Academy restructuring, the PCB has decided not to extend the contract of regional coach Akbar Yousufzai, while last week it parted ways with regional coaches Sabih Azhar and Taimoor Khan.

“As part of the change process underway at the PCB, a number of decisions have already been implemented. These further changes continue to form part of our forward planning.”

 

[Saj]

70 year-old Shafiq Ahmed removed from his role of General Manager – Domestic Cricket Operations.

He's been at the PCB for 12 years in various roles.

Get younger people in, with fresh ideas instead of these guys who have been in key roles for many years and seem to be doing very little.

 

[DRsohail]

Things are slowly getting better [MENTION=9]Saj[/MENTION] ?

 

[Savak]

Lahore, 25 June 2019:

The Pakistan Cricket Board today announced the departure of former Test cricketer and General Manager – Domestic Cricket Operations, Mr Shafiq Ahmed.

Shafiq, 70, played six Tests and three ODIs from 1974 to 1980 before joining the PCB in April 2007.

PCB Managing Director Wasim Khan thanked Mr Shafiq Ahmed for his services. “Shafiq has been one of the most loyal and committed servants of the game, previously as a cricketer and more recently as an administrator. He has made valuable contributions to the PCB for which we all are grateful to him.

“We thank him for his hard work and efforts, and wish him well in his future endeavours.”

Shafiq Ahmed said: “This is an end to what has been an exciting and amazing innings with the PCB. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at the Gaddafi Stadium. The best part of my time at the cricket headquarters was giving back and serving the sport I am passionate about.

“I am thankful to all my former and current colleagues for their support, and hope the PCB and Pakistan cricket will continue to grow stronger.”

In an unrelated matter and as part of the National Cricket Academy restructuring, the PCB has decided not to extend the contract of regional coach Akbar Yousufzai, while last week it parted ways with regional coaches Sabih Azhar and Taimoor Khan.

“As part of the change process underway at the PCB, a number of decisions have already been implemented. These further changes continue to form part of our forward planning.”

I refuse to believe that the likes of Shafiq, Sabih Azhar would have left on a cordial note. It is just not in our culture

 

[DRsohail]

I refuse to believe that the likes of Shafiq, Sabih Azhar would have left on a cordial note. It is just not in our culture

Must have been kicked out?

 

[Saj]

I refuse to believe that the likes of Shafiq, Sabih Azhar would have left on a cordial note. It is just not in our culture

No chance.

They've been asked to clear their desks and not come back.

Surprised at Sabih, as most regard him as a good coach.

 

[Savak]

No chance.

They've been asked to clear their desks and not come back.

Surprised at Sabih, as most regard him as a good coach.

Was watching Waheed Khan's show yesterday, according to him the PCB got rid of these guys because they had played a key role in enticing Nauman Dar to revolt against Ehsan Mani and Wasim Khan, therefore embarrassing them in the BOG Meeting.

Lol, don't think the PCB were going to allow any employee to remain after this.

 

[Fahdi]

12 years? Must have been doing a heck of a job.

 

[Syed1]

Damn Wasim Khan making big moves....

 

[UP]

Clean up the mess Khan.

All the old babas have to go now. Bring in new competent people.

 

[farazaidi]

I really hope we give a good administrative role to Misbah, that guy can seriously root out nepotism selections.

Was disappointing to see Younus not coaching U-19 squad for pay dispute, PCB should really be professional enough to hire him with the right pay. We need to groom these players at the youth level

 

[Thephenom]

What else doesn’t help is the systematic destruction of Pakistan cricket by the BCCI under the auspices of their puppets ICC over the past 10 years!

 

[King-Misbah]

Wasim Khan delivering so far! Hope he sticks around for the next 5/10 years

 

[pispswarren]

Ya whoever they are. It was to be approved by the board of governors and they had disapproved his appoinment..So whats the latest update. I dont think he has been officially appointed if it has to go through that process. Its still hanging in balance.
time management game

 

[the Great Khan]

What else doesn’t help is the systematic destruction of Pakistan cricket by the BCCI under the auspices of their puppets ICC over the past 10 years!

attempted destruction..just like the 27th of feb, they failed and will fail..Insahllah pak cricket will rise and give them a good beating like the CT final again..

 

[MenInG]

Lot of changes happening at the PCB, so I am guessing people are now happ(ier) with Wasim?

 

[MenInG]

Wasim Khan at a flag raising ceremony to mark 14th August at PCB offices

 

[Abdullah719]

Khan: “It was absolutely the best five months of my life”

Nobody was more thrilled by the Bears’ staggering success than 23-year-old Wasim. Born in Small Heath, a Brummie through and through, he had come through the youth system at Edgbaston, on his way to becoming the first British player of Pakistan origin to play professional cricket in England.

That concern, however, was understandable: How on earth do you, as a rookie, force your way into a team which is as close to all-conquering as any side in county cricket has ever been?

Wasim was still to make his first-team debut for the Bears and though 1,068 runs for the 2nd XI in ’94 underlined his potential, he could take nothing for granted. One top-order place would be vacated by Brian Lara in ’95, but there were many other factors in play.

“They were making a decision on whether to sign Tom Moody and Allan Donald for ’95 with various people on either side of the debate,” Wasim recalls. “We played a second-team game at Stratford and I remember sitting there thinking actually this is a really important decision for me because if Moody comes back another top-order spot is taken.

“Then I remember A.D turning up at Stratford and shaking hands with Neal Abberley and saying: ‘I’m staying’ – and I thought ‘crikey.’

“I’d done well in the 2nds in ’94 and thought I could be part of it in ’95 but another worry followed in October when the club signed Nick Knight. I remember feeling totally deflated and thinking: ‘I’ve been here for years now and want to be part of this incredible thing that’s going on at the club.'”

Wasim was to be part of it – a big part as the Bears lifted two more trophies in 1995. Despite the intense competition, he earned his first-team chance and seized it emphatically, scoring 740 championship runs, including a maiden century (a match-shaping 181 against Hampshire at Southampton) at an average of 46.25.

“Quite early in the season Knighty missed a game through injury so I made my debut at home to Surrey – how proud I was to pull on that Bears first-team shirt!” he said. “I scored 19 and 25 then played in the next game at Old Trafford and scored a few runs and I was on board the juggernaut! I scored 89 against Somerset at home and then, even though I was dropped for the next game, it didn’t matter to me because now I was part of this incredible team. I was looking around the dressing-room and seeing Gladstone Small, Allan Donald and Knighty, all these great players, and I was feeling a proper part of it.

“The senior guys were hugely welcoming. They played hard, on and off the field, all season long but were model professionals in that every time they went on the field they were ready – as the results showed.”

Those results included 14 wins from 17 championship games, the highest win-percentage in the history of the championship. And that 14th victory, the title-clincher over Kent at Canterbury, left Khan feeling totally euphoric – and slightly incredulous.

During that away trip, as for much of the season, Khan roomed with fellow emerging player Ashley Giles. Fast forward 24 years and, in 2019, the pair hold two of the biggest jobs in cricket – chief executive of the Pakistan Cricket Board and managing director of the England and Wales Cricket. On September 16, 1995, having contributed important runs and wickets respectively to the crucial win over Kent, they were just two young cricketers trying to take it all in.

“It was an incredible night,” Wasim recalls. “Ash and I were walking back to the hotel in the early hours of the morning thinking ‘can we really believe what’s happened to us this year?’ We had pretty much travelled the same journey together, much of it in my Peugeot 309!

“I remember lying in bed that night and thinking; ‘I can’t believe I have won a championship medal.’ Ian Botham, Viv Richards – these guys never did that. It was an incredible thrill and back in Birmingham the next day we all met up at the White Swan in Harborne to continue the celebration. It was absolutely the best five months of my life.

“Ash and I were the young guys, the lackeys, often the 12th and 13th men but we just loved being there and part of it. It was an amazing environment to be part of and you just couldn’t help but learn loads. It gives me a lot of pride now to look round and see what so many of the guys went on to do; Ash, of course, and Dougie Brown became directors of cricket with the Bears, Pop Welch has a great reputation and Jason Ratcliffe did such brilliant work for the PCA for so long.

“It’s great that so many of us stayed in cricket and did well in all sorts of places but I think, for those who were part of that mid-90s side, Warwickshire is where your heart is always going to be.”

Warwickshire was not, however, where the rest of Wasim Khan was always going to be. Ahead of him lay a career of extraordinary achievements which is very much ongoing but has already brought, among other accolades, an MBE for services to cricket and the community.

That remarkable career was to unfold off the cricket field though. Just five and a half years on from the champagne night in Canterbury, Wasim, still not 30 years old, hung up his boots.

“I had a very good season in ’95 but in ’96 I scored three first-class hundreds and not a lot else,” he said. “Then I spent most of ’97 in the Second XI and decided it was time to try my luck elsewhere. It was a big wrench for a boy from Small Heath who had been at the club since I was 13 but I felt it was the right decision.

“Six counties came in for me and I chose Sussex. I started there pretty well but then had a fall out with the captain Chris Adams and ended up in the 2nd XI. At the time I felt quite bitter and aggrieved about it but, when you look back, you see things differently and the fact is I didn’t score the runs to nail down a first-team place. I just wasn’t quite good enough.

“I left Sussex having hardly played first-team cricket for two years and it was a long winter in 2000/01 trying to find another club. Eventually I joined Derbyshire but it didn’t work out. In August 2001 I left with nowhere to go and seriously wondering what I was going to do for the next 20 years.”

What Wasim Khan went on to do in those subsequent 20 years almost beggars belief. The boy from Small Heath became the man who transformed the lives of countless young people by creating and delivering a £50million project to get cricket back into state schools – and, last year, became chief executive of the Pakistan Cricket Board.

https://warwickshireccc.com/news/khan-it-was-absolutely-the-best-five-months-of-my-life/

 

[Mamoon]

I think you are one of these people Wasim.

 

[BreadPakoda]

Looks like a man on a mission

 

[Shafi]

I must admit Wasim Khan knows exactly what people want to hear.

 

[shah_1]

Looks like a man on a mission

Man on a mission to destory Pakistan cricket

Who in the right mind will give a go ahead to giving three jobs to Misbah and appointing Azhar Ali as a captain

 

[ZamanFan]

The only thing dangerous and scary about Pakistan cricket is this imported administrator Wasim Khan.
Seems to have some sort of agenda to take eliminate cricket from Pakistan and getting hefty paycheck for it.
Snatched livelihoods of Pakistani first class cricketers in name of reforms literally making them jobless and throwing them on the streets.
Before this happened to be a cricket administrator for an important British county,
can't believe how any cricket administrator pick a coach with zero experience for the national team. And then appoints him chief selector as well, major breach in conflict of interest . The appointed coach made Pakistan team a total joke chopping and trying players like lab rats, those players themselves are'nt the top performers in domestics.

 

[Saj]

The vultures are hovering.

The dinosaurs are gaining strength.

The back-stabbers in PCB are around - watch your back Wasim.

 

[ZamanFan]

The vultures are hovering.

The dinosaurs are gaining strength.

The back-stabbers in PCB are around - watch your back Wasim.

This is the kind of arttitude that has destroyed Pakistan cricket
Can you please be specific which vultures? Ehsan Mani has had quite a long honeymoon period for more than one year in which he can completely squashed Pakistan national side while this hired deputy has devastated our first class cricket.

Most people welcomed Sethi's ouster and had hoped, domestic performers, on merit players will get more chance, domestic cricket will be strengthened. What has happened is just the opposite. Pakistan National XI was doing well, despite the nepotismof cheif selector Inzamam ul Haq, it had won a multinational tournament was returning into the top 5 rank. Started winning against lower tier sides which Azhar and Misbah led XI failed to in 2015.
In comes this administrator and the losers [Misbah/Waqar Younis/Azhar Ali]who pushed us into 9th and 10 th rank are brought back as coaches and captain.

 

[Saj]

If people think Wasim Khan can turn around Pakistan cricket in the space of a few months they are mistaken.

He needs more time before people can look at his results.

 

[Savak]

If people think Wasim Khan can turn around Pakistan cricket in the space of a few months they are mistaken.

He needs more time before people can look at his results.

He doesn't have much time left, three year contract in which one year has already passed and with the decision to appoint Misbah, Waqar looking diabolical.

He doesn't have much time left now

 

[pakistanisgreat]

I feel that wasim Khan you should leave now...lol

Thanks for given us Misbah with three roles.

 

[Saj]

He doesn't have much time left, three year contract in which one year has already passed and with the decision to appoint Misbah, Waqar looking diabolical.

He doesn't have much time left now

Well 2 years to go.....that's a long time in Pakistan cricket.

 

[Savak]

Well 2 years to go.....that's a long time in Pakistan cricket.

I won't judge Wasim Khan on the on field performances as that is ultimately on the players and coaching staff but he does deserve flak for the coaches and captains who have been appointed.

The main reason for bringing Wasim Khan in the PCB was to thoroughly professionalize and modernize the PCB management establishing a high performance culture and for him to use his International contacts to bring International Cricket back to Pakistan, to get the A team tour's going, to have player exchange programs, to help the PCB diversify its revenue streams

This is what I will ultimately judge him by.

 

[superman]

His nefarious or idiotic decision to appoint tuk tuk to 3 roles neither of which he was qualified for will come back to haunt him

 

[Abdullah719]

Khan: “Cricket and politics. They are the two things that really matter here”

Spoiler

When Wasim retired from cricket, his career having petered out disappointingly at the age of just 30, he was seriously concerned about what the future held. He had not been to university. The excellent work which the

Professional Cricketers Association does in 2019 to prepare players for life after cricket did not exist back then. The future was an unknown quantity.

He certainly did not envisage heading up a £50million campaign to get youngsters into cricket or being awarded an MBE or becoming chief executive of the Pakistan Cricket Board. That would seem ludicrous.
But, remarkably, it all happened.

And it started with some letters popped into a postbox in Small Heath.

“There I was suddenly out of cricket and it wasn’t an easy time,” Wasim said. “I needed to find a new direction.

“So I wrote to every school in Birmingham offering to get into them and get cricket back into state schools. The take-up was huge and it went well. I remember a fantastic double-page spread written by Brian Halford in the Birmingham Post – ‘Where The Streets Have No Game.’ That really helped.

“I also started working, through contacts made by Tim Munton, at the Professional Cricketers Association as Community Development Manager. I discovered how much I enjoyed working on projects and delivering them and started to realise that coaching was not for me.

“Then one day I was in my mum’s kitchen, having just taken a coaching session at Small Heath School, when my mobile rang. A woman on the line said that Mervyn King, the Governor of the Bank of England, wanted to talk to me. Well, I thought my mates would never have dreamed that one up as a wind-up!”

This was April 2005 and Wasim soon discovered that it was no wind-up – and that King was deadly serious about his mission to reboot cricket in schools

“Mervyn’s secretary told me that he wanted to see me so I went down to see him in Threadneedle Street the next day. He told me about his vision to get cricket back into schools and asked me what I thought. I said perhaps we could raise £1million to back the campaign. Mervyn said: ‘Let’s aim for £50 million.’ He said if I could raise £25million from the private sector he would get the Government to match-fund it. That showed he was serious.”

The Chance to Shine programme was born. Headed by Wasim under the umbrella of the Cricket Foundation (the charitable arm of the England and Wales Cricket Board) over the next ten years, Chance to Shine was to reach nearly 11,000 schools, introducing the game for 2.5million children – all the more important at a time when live international cricket disappeared from terrestrial television. He also added ‘successful author’ to his burgeoning CV when his autobiography, Brim Full of Passion, was voted Wisden Book of the Year in 2007.

Wasim’s leadership of Chance to Shine earned him an MBE, in 2014. Still only 43, however, he remained hungry for more challenges. The Chance to Shine work had honed his leadership skills and, with that experience backed up by a Master of Business Administration degree from Warwick Business School, he joined Leicestershire CCC as chief executive in January 2015.

“I loved it at Leicester but it was a really tough gig,” he said. “Like all counties at non-Test grounds they were up against it financially. When I arrived they had recorded £1m losses in the previous two years and not won a game on the field for three.

“We had to raise money and raise morale and we did that. The team won some games, and for the first three years we turned a profit. We improved the facilities and the hospitality suites, had 16,000 in for an Elton John concert and co-hosted the Women’s World Cup. It was always a battle but there are some really good people at the club and we made progress.”

That progress in difficult circumstances impressed a lot of people in cricket, including at the ECB. When the search began for a successor to Andrew Strauss as England managing director, Wasim was short-listed – but then suddenly the way was cleared for Ashley Giles to get the job because another opportunity knocked.

The Pakistan Cricket Board was looking for a chief executive – and the amazing story of the Brummie with family origins in Kashmir was about to get another twist.

“I was in the frame for the England job but then the Pakistan role came up,” he said. “Tom Harrison and Colin Graves at the ECB were great when I told them this job would be so special for me I had to go for it. Imran Khan had just become prime minister and it is such an exciting time for Pakistan cricket. I spoke to the PCB and couldn’t have been more proud to get the job and take over take over.”

That was last February. Ten months down the line, Wasim’s pride in having such a prestigious post is still tangible. He is thoroughly relishing it – in all its glorious complexity.

For anybody who wants a quiet life, chief executive of the Pakistan Cricket Board is not the gig for them. Pakistan supporters are among the most passionate in world cricket with every aspect of the game and its leaders subject to intense scrutiny.

But Wasim Khan always embraced a challenge…

“It is relentless,” he said. “There is a lot of pressure and scrutiny but that’s because there is a such a passion for cricket in this great country. The fans are pretty volatile. If you win a game you are world-beaters – if you lose, it is the end of the world! Cricket and politics – they are the things that really matter here.

“I knew when I took over there was a lot to do to get Pakistan cricket to where it needs to be but we have made a lot of progress. One of my main objectives was to reorganise the domestic game and we have gone from 16 teams to six provinces and brought in a similar points system to the one used in England. We have brought in the ‘no toss’ option and changed to a Kookaburra ball. All women players now get paid and the selection panel of the women’s team is all-female and, with an average age of 32, relevant.

“We have had to cost-cut quite a bit and when you do that, of course there is some resistance. But we needed to cost-cut. India don’t play us at the moment and when you think that any series with India brought in around $60million dollars that’s a big hole to fill.”

Most significantly, international cricket has returned to Pakistan. After a decade of playing ‘home’ games at neutral venues following the attack on the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in March 2009, the Sri Lankans returned to Pakistan for a white-ball tour in September and October this year. Next week, Test cricket will return when Pakistan face Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi.

In the New Year, Bangladesh and South Africa will visit and it is hoped that the whole of the Pakistan Super League will be played in Pakistan. A tour by the MCC is scheduled for February while further down the line England are due in late 2022.

“Tom Harrison and Martin Darlow from the ECB came out to visit us,” said Wasim. “They have been brilliant and shown a real commitment to coming back to Pakistan as soon as possible. We are just taking small steps now towards the objective of hosting that tour in 2022.”

With international cricket back in Pakistan, another objective is achieved. But Wasim still has plenty on his plate – and that, despite all the pressure and opprobrium, is just the way he likes it.

“In any high-profile job you are going to get criticism and it’s fair to say I get my fair share,” he said. “But I arrived here without any political baggage and a lot of people respect that. I just want to do the best for Pakistan cricket and if that means taking some tough decisions along the way then so be it.

“It is mentally draining but my family is out here with me which is really important and I’m loving it. There is so much to do – the cricket, the politics, the diplomacy. I think I’ve got the most interesting job in the world!”

https://warwickshireccc.com/news/kh...y-are-the-two-things-that-really-matter-here/

 

[asadee]

Another overhyped individual by PP management