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Was it a mistake by Zaka Ashraf To Tour India in 2012-13?

BoomBoomCricket

BoomBoomCricket

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This turned out to be Pakistan's second tour to India in a row without India returning.
And it wasn't exactly a full tour in the first place, just 5 short form games while England were on a Christmas break between their Test and ODI series in India.
It severely interrupted Pakistan's Test preparations for the tour of South Africa shortly after.
Some feel had PCB had their time again they wouldn't have agreed to this tour, given what has transpired since.
 
BoomBoomCricket said:
This turned out to be Pakistan's second tour to India in a row without India returning.
And it wasn't exactly a full tour in the first place, just 5 short form games while England were on a Christmas break between their Test and ODI series in India.
It severely interrupted Pakistan's Test preparations for the tour of South Africa shortly after.
Some feel had PCB had their time again they wouldn't have agreed to this tour, given what has transpired since.
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Was more of a betrayal than a mistake...
 
Absolutely, this was a real own goal by the PCB in hindsight.

I have no way of substantiating this, but I'd heard in the grapevine that the PCB didn't even ask the BCCI for intinery fees for this tour!! So the BCCI must have made some £££s from this little visit by Pakistan.

Clearly, Zaka Ashraf had the idea that this tour would be a loss leader for the PCB, and would open up the possibility of future tours between the countries.

However, anybody observing the Indian political scene could clearly see that that would never happen, and probably won't for another decade atleast.

In hindsight, this tour made the PCB look laughably weak and desperate, thereby reducing their negotiating strength against not just the BCCI, but other boards as well.

The lesson from this tour for the PCB is:

a) No freebies to established boards. It's different if they're touring an Ireland to help develop Irish cricket

b) If bilateral ties with India ever improve in the future, the first full series has to be played in Pakistan. This point is non-negotiable and needs a strong PCB board to stick to it.
 
I think it is more to do with a different government being elected in India after 2014 , if this current government was not in power then surely there would have been a series in UAE most probably after 2014

PCB had no choice really at that time because there was no cricket in Pakistan nor did PSL started so they had to play India hoping they would play a bilateral series at least in UAE which never happened

Now that the cricket has comeback in Pakistan with PSL doing good so they can afford to make a choice for themselves and not only survive but do good enough without India which will be difficult but they can manage if teams tour Pakistan

I think the right decision was made at that time by PCB only thing is that they did not got what was offered to them by BCCI
 
Nah, it allows us to forever claim that we won the last bilateral series and that India is scared of playing us :yk2
 
We beat India in India what a series it was no regrets with the team touring at that time.

Although now ( even if corona virus didn't exist) with all this Hindu nationalism terroism it wouldn't be safe for Pakistan to tour or any Muslim country for that matter
 
It wasn’t a mistake to play. It was the best decision in fact. The mistake was in not securing a return series.
 
To see India celebrating barely avoiding a whitewash in front of their home crowd like they won the World Cup was worth it.
 
nextover666666 said:
We beat India in India what a series it was no regrets with the team touring at that time.

Although now ( even if corona virus didn't exist) with all this Hindu nationalism terroism it wouldn't be safe for Pakistan to tour or any Muslim country for that matter
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Afghanistan have been playing their home games in India for 6 years. :uakmal
 
Mesozoic said:
Afghanistan have been playing their home games in India for 6 years. :uakmal
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Afghanistan is a Muslims country that sold out and are playing in empty stadiums in other regions of India not even big cities also this is temporary and political move India will show its true colours to them as well when the time is right
 
nextover666666 said:
Afghanistan is a Muslims country that sold out and are playing in empty stadiums in other regions of India not even big cities also this is temporary and political move India will show its true colours to them as well when the time is right
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Statements like these don’t make any sense. Even on a political level India has everything to gain from maintaining Afghanistan as a proxy against Pakistan. Soft power is one component of that and their overtures to the Afghan cricket team are crucial. This relationship isn’t going anywhere any time soon.
 
One more example of BCCI's hypocrisy. I am sure even if PCB decides to send its team to India later this year, BCCI won't let that opportunity go out of their hands because of the money they will get. :inti
 
What own goal? We beat India black and blue that series. Junaid cleaning up the so called great Indian batting will forever be etched in the minds of Indians. We literally man handled them throughout the tour and at their home :))
 
Forward Defensive Push said:
What own goal? We beat India black and blue that series. Junaid cleaning up the so called great Indian batting will forever be etched in the minds of Indians. We literally man handled them throughout the tour and at their home :))
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it was a bilateral. Calm down. No one gives a Damn about bilaterals. Players don't peak during a bilateral series. it's more for testing out players. Funnily enough that loss helped india win the champions trophy right after that series.
 
It was the right decision. Had Congress won in 2014 I am sure bilateral cricket would have resumed.
 
Thunderbolt14 said:
Statements like these don’t make any sense. Even on a political level India has everything to gain from maintaining Afghanistan as a proxy against Pakistan. Soft power is one component of that and their overtures to the Afghan cricket team are crucial. This relationship isn’t going anywhere any time soon.
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Weathers it's soon or later the true colours will show ... They always end up doing so
 
It is always a pleasure seeing Indian fans awestruck and going silent after mauling. There is nothing more pleasing to the eyes of cricket fans/players world over. I will forgive Zaka for it. J"ANAY" doe.
 
Forward Defensive Push said:
What own goal? We beat India black and blue that series. Junaid cleaning up the so called great Indian batting will forever be etched in the minds of Indians. We literally man handled them throughout the tour and at their home :))
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Nah. It helped us get rid of a bunch of washed up players and resulted in us winning the Champions trophy a few months later where we mauled you on your way out of the tournament.

So yeah it was a great series for both the teams for different reasons. :)
 
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There is nothing more pleasing to eyes than "dushman kay ghar main guss kay marna". Becharay Indians can only do it in their cheap bolly fantasies.:hasan2
 
CricVet said:
There is nothing more pleasing to eyes than "dushman kay ghar main guss kay marna". Becharay Indians can only do it in their cheap bolly fantasies.:hasan2
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India won 3 out of their last 4 bilateral series against Pakistan in Pakistan. :hasan2
 
Pakistan only gets to play India in high stake tournaments and they succumb to the pressure of the occasion. Had the two countries been facing off against each other in bilateral series the head to head record of the two countries in the last ten years would have been a lot closer
 
Savak said:
Pakistan only gets to play India in high stake tournaments and they succumb to the pressure of the occasion. Had the two countries been facing off against each other in bilateral series the head to head record of the two countries in the last ten years would have been a lot closer
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Indian team under Kohli is different, we are bilateral bullies and tournament chokers. We would win most bilaterals vs you guys but lose the big matches. We won in last 2 Asia Cups because we weren't led by him, in 2014 when he captained we lost. You will very soon experience a WC/WT20 win against us, 2019 WC was a golden chance but Sarfaraz opted to field first.
 
Savak said:
Pakistan only gets to play India in high stake tournaments and they succumb to the pressure of the occasion. Had the two countries been facing off against each other in bilateral series the head to head record of the two countries in the last ten years would have been a lot closer
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Yeah could be it was kind of similar situation in CT2017 for pak after getting thrashed by India in their first game everyone thought Pak would struggle in the tournament but they actually won beating the odds and surprising everyone which truly will be associated with Pak cricket team always, when everyone writs them off they tend to perform better if not all the time certainly most time

when they are put in pressure then most time they crumble like in 2011 WC semi-final or Asia cup loss against India after CT2017 final .
 
Swashbuckler said:
Indian team under Kohli is different, we are bilateral bullies and tournament chokers. We would win most bilaterals vs you guys but lose the big matches. We won in last 2 Asia Cups because we weren't led by him, in 2014 when he captained we lost. You will very soon experience a WC/WT20 win against us, 2019 WC was a golden chance but Sarfaraz opted to field first.
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I think winning a WC match against the same opponent is much more difficult than winning a bilateral series what do you think?

In WC encounter the pressure with so much hype around a WC match makes it much more difficult for players to perform to their best of potential than in bilateral series where it is more technical where the hype and pressure is less because of playing the same opponent multiple times and knowing each other strengths and technical faults in that particular series
 
I don't think it made much of a difference as the Indian government at the time had a different stance, compared to now.
 
When I spoke with Zaka about this, he said he was steam rollered into this due to pressure from various people.
 
Saj said:
When I spoke with Zaka about this, he said he was steam rollered into this due to pressure from various people.
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So the PPP then, a party man was Zaka. He was also "pressured" into making a useless stadium in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh next to the Bhutto Masoleum.
 
Saj said:
When I spoke with Zaka about this, he said he was steam rollered into this due to pressure from various people.
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https://www.news18.com/cricketnext/news/pcb-wants-india-to-tour-pakistan-in-august-2013-586751.html

This was his statement at the time when he agreed to this tour and i quote

"We have conveyed to them we would like to formally discuss a tour by India to Pakistan next August and other matters that can further cement bilateral cricket ties between the two countries. We have conveyed we would like the discussions to be held when the match is held in New Delhi," Ashraf said.

PCB will not raise any revenue sharing issues with the BCCI for the upcoming one-day series, starting December 25, in India as it wants bilateral ties to be frequent.

"It is not always about money. By the grace of God we are financially sound. But for us the priority at this time is to improve and cement ties with Indian cricket. We want to see long term benefits from such ties even a tour by India to Pakistan. The good thing is that relations between the two boards at this time are very good and there is lot of understanding
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The guy was naive and got played by the BCCI. Dont forget, previous to this series, the BCCI had cancelled two tours to Pakistan causing the PCB huge losses but he still willingly agreed to a series in India and allowed the BCCI to take advantage of the PCB
 
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S
Mesozoic said:
India won 3 out of their last 4 bilateral series against Pakistan in Pakistan. :hasan2
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You can cherish that. Anyways I love to watch highlights, Juanid destroying INdian batting line up .Ending Sehwag,s career and we recorded the last series win India by any visiting team.
 
DRsohail said:
and we recorded the last series win India by any visiting team.
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South Africa won 3-2 in India in 2015.
Australia won 3-2 in India before the 2019 WC, came back from 0-2 down to win that series.
 
the Great Khan said:
yes indeed..it was satisfying watching these bollywood mired shooperishtaars get pounded. lol..
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As gratifying as 2004/5 where the test series was drawn 1-1 despite one of the worst bowling attacks to leave Pakistan for a tour and then the ODI series was won 4-2 after coming back from 0-2 down.
 
Lol at those who are calling it meaningless series. You just have to look at the hype and pathetic ads that were created before that series. Just because we lost that series doesn't mean it was meaningless. If you still don't believe me, please watch the celebrations by our team at the end of the 3rd ODI which was a deadrubber. It meant a lot for them because getting whitewashed by Pakistan at home was never going to be acceptable. :inti
 
Zaka was a simple man, not too familiar with cricket and surrounded by a few untrustworthy characters in the world of cricket.

It was a tough gig for him.
 
Saj said:
Zaka was a simple man, not too familiar with cricket and surrounded by a few untrustworthy characters in the world of cricket.

It was a tough gig for him.
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Lol not really. The man was not simple enough to prevent him from constantly going to court to reclaim the PCB chairmanship from Sethi from 2013-14 even though it was very clear that the prime minister wanted his own team in the PCB.

Also Najam Sethi also had the same team as Subhan and had bigger challenges to deal with ie the PSL.
 
Savak said:
Lol not really. The man was not simple enough to prevent him from constantly going to court to reclaim the PCB chairmanship from Sethi from 2013-14 even though it was very clear that the prime minister wanted his own team in the PCB.

Also Najam Sethi also had the same team as Subhan and had bigger challenges to deal with ie the PSL.
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Simple in terms of how to run a Cricket Board.
 
Bhaag Viru Bhaag said:
Lol at those who are calling it meaningless series. You just have to look at the hype and pathetic ads that were created before that series. Just because we lost that series doesn't mean it was meaningless. If you still don't believe me, please watch the celebrations by our team at the end of the 3rd ODI which was a deadrubber. It meant a lot for them because getting whitewashed by Pakistan at home was never going to be acceptable. :inti
Click to expand...

Dont think it was a meaningless series but you are exaggerating the hype thing. If I recall correctly, the series was decided in last minute and only got squeezed in between an ongoing Eng series when they went home for Christmas. Star Sports creates ad for every series, so that dosent mean anything. That series was special to you bcoz the team you support won it but there was no such massive hype as you make it out to be. There was more hype surrounding last years Asia cup but we never talk about it for obvious reasons :viru
 
Saj said:
Simple in terms of how to run a Cricket Board.
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Don't think he was that simple, the guy was running a bank, there were also corruption allegations against him
 
Savak said:
Don't think he was that simple, the guy was running a bank, there were also corruption allegations against him
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I think you struggle to understand simple things at times.

Do you really believe running a bank is the same as running a cricket board.
 
Saj said:
I think you struggle to understand simple things at times.

Do you really believe running a bank is the same as running a cricket board.
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At the end of the day its a management job where having knowledge on finance helps big time. Zaka had the background to run the affairs of the board in a competent manner. Sethi worked in media all his life and ran his own editorials, he didn't have any problems in running the PCB or PSL.
 
Savak said:
At the end of the day its a management job where having knowledge on finance helps big time. Zaka had the background to run the affairs of the board in a competent manner. Sethi worked in media all his life and ran his own editorials, he didn't have any problems in running the PCB or PSL.
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Many would not agree with your assumption that Sethi ran the PCB well. But that's for another thread.

Running a Cricket Board is not just about finance or having a financial background.

I spoke with Zaka quite a few times, seemed a nice guy, but not too well-informed when it came to running PCB.
 
Playing a series with India seems like a dream now. Pak should just focus on other competitive teams
 
Saj said:
Many would not agree with your assumption that Sethi ran the PCB well. But that's for another thread.

Running a Cricket Board is not just about finance or having a financial background.

I spoke with Zaka quite a few times, seemed a nice guy, but not too well-informed when it came to running PCB.
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The question then remains why did he agree to accept the post if he was not well informed about running the PCB?
 
Lol and the same Zaka went to courts numerous times in order to get the PCB chairman seat back even though he had zero knowledge about cricket. Sounds like a guy with plenty of credibility
 
I think Zaka had the right intention but it just didn't generate the desired result.

BJP coming to power also made things worse.
 
Mesozoic said:
Oh. So I guess the team that got mauled by us in both tests and odis in 2007 was Bermuda. :yk2
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I was talking about them last series results. I know it’s easy to confuse Pakistan with Bermuda given your fantasies, but you can look at 2006 Mohammad asif wickets in Karachi yo bring your head back to Pakistani talent. And then Younis khan century Highlights in Bangalore in 2005.

Our worst teams in decades have competed well your awesome super hyped up teams.
 
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If rumours are to be believed then this joker could become the PCB chairman for 2nd time
 
Kianig89 said:
If rumours are to be believed then this joker could become the PCB chairman for 2nd time
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I thought PML N will be more interested in picking Sethi for the role. Choosing b/w the lesser of the two evils, i will prefer Sethi to Zaka Ashraf any day.
 
JaDed said:
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cric...an-s-huge-revelation-101649863745859-amp.html

“Wives of Pakistan cricketers were sent to India in 2012 to keep an eye on players: Former PCB chairman's huge revelation”

————-

Some of the things(the way the phrase it) important people in Pakistan with power say are downright embarrassing
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:)) The sad thing is it's probably not even in the top 50 of embarrassing PCB Chairman statements:

Ijaz Butt accusing English team of fixing after hearing "loud and clear talk in bookie circles", calling Big Three sons of pigs after asking reporters not to quote him, asking for Shane Warne to be hanged upside down after correctly predicting a match result (yes that's real), Shehryar Khan asking BCCI to honour the MOU every five minutes, Najam Sethi saying he wanted a white lawyer for Mohammad Amir's defence.

To name a few.
 
Zaka was a guy who liked to put out a show and win support.

If you guys remember, during zakas time, after winning any series, this guy would throw dinner parties for the whole team.

The reason why he did this tour was to show look i was able to pull of a pakistan india series. He did it for the media and attention...

I said it back than that it was a terrible tour. Even though misbah got us a series win, financially it never helped us.
 
Major said:
Zaka was a guy who liked to put out a show and win support.

If you guys remember, during zakas time, after winning any series, this guy would throw dinner parties for the whole team.

The reason why he did this tour was to show look i was able to pull of a pakistan india series. He did it for the media and attention...

I said it back than that it was a terrible tour. Even though misbah got us a series win, financially it never helped us.
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Wasn't Zaka basically Zardari's guy at ZTBL ?

I remember him seeming somewhat shady when appointed in 2011 but was just so relieved Ijaz Butt had left that we'd have accepted absolutely anybody as Chairman.
 
Markhor said:
Wasn't Zaka basically Zardari's guy at ZTBL ?

I remember him seeming somewhat shady when appointed in 2011 but was just so relieved Ijaz Butt had left that we'd have accepted absolutely anybody as Chairman.
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Yup, he was from ztbl.

He was the guy who removed misbah from t20 due to media pressure.
 
Markhor said:
Wasn't Zaka basically Zardari's guy at ZTBL ?

I remember him seeming somewhat shady when appointed in 2011 but was just so relieved Ijaz Butt had left that we'd have accepted absolutely anybody as Chairman.
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There were corruption allegations against Zaka from ZTBL worth billions. Even as PCB Chairman he apparently filled the board with PPP employees and enjoyed many joy rides on PCB's exchequer as Chairman.
 
Kaddy said:
Yea I remember there was a lot of media and public pressure to remove Misbah-Ul-Haq after this performance.


http://www.howstat.com/cricket/Statistics/Matches/MatchScorecard_T20.asp?MatchCode=0231

It proved last T20 international for him. :misbah4


On a side note, just imagine Babar Azam plays a similar innings.

Pakpassion will explode with Babar bashing threads.
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What on earth was Asad Shafiq doing playing T20s. 124 from 20 overs :facepalm

Funny how Mohsin Khan never mentions the ODI and T20 series vs England on his watch.
 
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