Titan24
Senior Test Player
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2016
- Runs
- 25,094
- Post of the Week
- 6
2010 match fixing saga was probably one of the biggest scandals that hit the international cricket.
Salman Butt a top ODI opener, developing himself in test cricket and at the same time emerging as a leader with natural aggression and good communication skills, a teenage prodigy in pacer Mohammad Amir and another pacer with the potential to become an ATG in Mohammad Asif. All three did something horrible which didnt only impacted their careers but more importantly damaged the image and soul of Pakistan cricket from its root.
It was the last thing Pakistan cricket needed at that time after the unfortunate incident of 2009 when Srl toured and it was pretty much on the cards that international cricket will not be returning any time soon.
At that time Pakistan needed a person who is not only clean himself but good enough to represent Pakistan in front of media in an effort to restore the lost image of Pakistan cricket. It was Misbah Ul Haq who was selected for the role of "Image Cleaner" and was appointed as the captain of Pakistan team.
It was a surprise for the entire cricketing world as Misbah was around 35-36 years of age at that time with only 2 100s and a handful of 50s under his belt at test level. He wasnt even part of the few series before this appointment. Yes later he surprised many and statistically became the best test captain of Pakistan along with being one of the best test batsmen as well.
I respect Misbah for what he did for Pakistan at that time and what he achieved at test captain. I also dont think we can deny the fact that he was an outstanding ambassador of Pakistan cricket and the game as a whole however, he probably wasnt a perfect fit to the natural personality of Pakistan cricket which everybody was used to seeing.
We have seen numerous posts and threads why the current Pakistan is sometimes meek and doesnt really enforce itself upon the opposition as everybody was used to seeing. Yes lack of ability of some players can be a factor but, I dont think its the only factor. The thing which changed it all for Pakistan cricket was 2010 match fixing saga as it burnt the very roots of Pakistan cricket. When such a scandal gets associated with an organization, its all but natural to take a back step. You loose that bit of extra flare, confidence as the guilt and burden of that event runs through from the very top to bottom.
In the eventful year we didnt only loose 3 outstanding talents which had the potential to change the entire last decade of Pakistan cricket we also lost the soul the very consciousness of Pakistan cricket which Pakistan cricket stood for. That was the natural flare, confidence and few characters with a certain presence and persona on the field.
That mindset of national team runs through the entire cricket system of the country as that is seen as the benchmark which people strive for and target so that molded the upcoming young cricketers in a certain way as well.
I believe bit of aggression, attitude and confidence if allowed to be manifested on the field (Within the laws of the game), it works as the igniting force for some players who thrive on those things. We might not have many such players anymore due to the change which year 2010 brought but, some players might still have it in them who are just conscious to maintain an image which was deemed acceptable for the last decade or so.
What was done in 2010 was right for that point of time and we have seen Australia doing the same with Tim Paine as captain to clean the image post the ball tempering incident. However, I think Aus might be able to maintain the balance which Pakistan cricket probably wasnt able to and overdid the image thing a bit. I personally think its time to blow of the remaining flames of that 2010 saga and revive the soul of Pakistan cricket. It might not be easy as the system and players have been transformed but, all that is needed is to find that hidden soul of Pakistan cricket which might still be there somewhere.
Salman Butt a top ODI opener, developing himself in test cricket and at the same time emerging as a leader with natural aggression and good communication skills, a teenage prodigy in pacer Mohammad Amir and another pacer with the potential to become an ATG in Mohammad Asif. All three did something horrible which didnt only impacted their careers but more importantly damaged the image and soul of Pakistan cricket from its root.
It was the last thing Pakistan cricket needed at that time after the unfortunate incident of 2009 when Srl toured and it was pretty much on the cards that international cricket will not be returning any time soon.
At that time Pakistan needed a person who is not only clean himself but good enough to represent Pakistan in front of media in an effort to restore the lost image of Pakistan cricket. It was Misbah Ul Haq who was selected for the role of "Image Cleaner" and was appointed as the captain of Pakistan team.
It was a surprise for the entire cricketing world as Misbah was around 35-36 years of age at that time with only 2 100s and a handful of 50s under his belt at test level. He wasnt even part of the few series before this appointment. Yes later he surprised many and statistically became the best test captain of Pakistan along with being one of the best test batsmen as well.
I respect Misbah for what he did for Pakistan at that time and what he achieved at test captain. I also dont think we can deny the fact that he was an outstanding ambassador of Pakistan cricket and the game as a whole however, he probably wasnt a perfect fit to the natural personality of Pakistan cricket which everybody was used to seeing.
We have seen numerous posts and threads why the current Pakistan is sometimes meek and doesnt really enforce itself upon the opposition as everybody was used to seeing. Yes lack of ability of some players can be a factor but, I dont think its the only factor. The thing which changed it all for Pakistan cricket was 2010 match fixing saga as it burnt the very roots of Pakistan cricket. When such a scandal gets associated with an organization, its all but natural to take a back step. You loose that bit of extra flare, confidence as the guilt and burden of that event runs through from the very top to bottom.
In the eventful year we didnt only loose 3 outstanding talents which had the potential to change the entire last decade of Pakistan cricket we also lost the soul the very consciousness of Pakistan cricket which Pakistan cricket stood for. That was the natural flare, confidence and few characters with a certain presence and persona on the field.
That mindset of national team runs through the entire cricket system of the country as that is seen as the benchmark which people strive for and target so that molded the upcoming young cricketers in a certain way as well.
I believe bit of aggression, attitude and confidence if allowed to be manifested on the field (Within the laws of the game), it works as the igniting force for some players who thrive on those things. We might not have many such players anymore due to the change which year 2010 brought but, some players might still have it in them who are just conscious to maintain an image which was deemed acceptable for the last decade or so.
What was done in 2010 was right for that point of time and we have seen Australia doing the same with Tim Paine as captain to clean the image post the ball tempering incident. However, I think Aus might be able to maintain the balance which Pakistan cricket probably wasnt able to and overdid the image thing a bit. I personally think its time to blow of the remaining flames of that 2010 saga and revive the soul of Pakistan cricket. It might not be easy as the system and players have been transformed but, all that is needed is to find that hidden soul of Pakistan cricket which might still be there somewhere.
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