By sending a large contingent comprising of three separate teams, one each for Tests, ODI’s and Twenty20 matches the PCB has succumbed to a foolish proposal by Chief coach Dav Whatmore. The T20 squad comprises of 16 players which is the normal composition of a team touring a foreign country. Added to it is the ODI squad of 9 players and the Test matches squad of 7 players, making a total of 32 players. Further adding to it 8 officials who accompanied the team raised the total strength of the contingent to 40. During my life long affiliation with the game I never heard of ‘such a big cricket procession visiting another country for a single series. It is, however, great to find an entry into the Guinness Book of records but simply disgraceful as far as the game of cricket is concerned. What really haunts me is the fact as to how could Whatmore forget that his own board i.e Cricket Australia experimented forming different teams for different versions of the game way back fifteen years, failed in their effort and abandoned the plan for being impracticable. Sending such a big cricket contingent abroad is tantamount to make a joke of Pakistan’s cricket.

The Pakistan team’s shameful defeat in the 1st T20 match of the series has proved the failure of Mr. Whatmore’s plan. While the total score in such matches rises to 180-200 runs, the Pakistan team failed to achieve a small victory target of 133 runs and got out for only 95 runs thus losing the match by 37 runs. It is the competence and quality of players needed to achieve victories and not the numerical strength. The best would be to train our players in the manner that they are able to adjust their prowess and technique of the game to all versions of cricket. Chairman PCB, please tell Mr. Whatmore to do this. It is just the start. Let us hope the team performs better in the forthcoming matches of the series.
RAFI NASIM,
Lahore, June 2.