Adil Najam
Pakistan plays its second group match in the 2007 World Cup Cricket against Ireland today.
Having already lost the first match to hosts West Indies, if the troubled Pakistani team also loses this game, it would have effectively eliminated itself from the tournament even before the ‘Super 8′ begin. On the other hand, if Ireland wins, it will be a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day windfall for the Irish.
Even though Ireland had pulled in a remarkable effort by tieing against Zimbabwe, the odds say that Pakistan will not lose today (and if they do, would there be any hope at all left for Pakistan cricket?). But around 20 per cent of our readers seem to think that Pakistan will fail to make it to the Super 8 - if not by losing today’s game, then by losing the last Group game against Zimbabwe. This according to the results of our ATP Poll on Pakistan’s prospects for the Cricket World Cup 2007.
(Click above for larger image)
The overall prognosis from the Poll seems to be rather bleak.
- A total of 398 votes were cast in the Poll.
- Some 20 per cent (79 votes) believe that Pakistan will not even make it past the group stage into the ‘Super 8.’
- This means that 80 per cent feel that the team will get into the Super 8. However, just about half (47 per cent; 188 votes) believe that Pakistan will not get beyond the Super 8 stage.
- A total of 34 per cent (131 votes) believes that Pakistan will, in fact, get to the Semi-Finals. But 20 per cent (78 votes) are of the view that the team will get no further than the Semi-Finals.
- 53 people (14 per cent) are of the view that the green caps will get to the Finals; and of these 43 (11 per cent of total) feel that we will win.
Personally, in this case I would hope that the majority is wrong and the 43 people who think that Pakistan will actually win the World Cup turn out to be correct. I hope so, but, frankly, I am not holding my breath.
NEWS
Naaim Ashraf resigns! Good riddance!
On St. Patrick’s Day, lowly rated Ireland defeated Pakistan, thus
eliminating the team from the World Cup for the first time since the Cup
started in 1975.
Later, the manager of the team, Bob Woolmer is found dead after a heart
attack. He was 58. Speaking after Pakistan’s loss to Ireland, he told the
BBC, “”There are a number of extenuating circumstances in the last six
months that have made coaching Pakistan slightly different to normal sides.”
( We are really very sad on the sad and untimely demise of Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan cricket coach).
Pakistan cricket team has faced ignominious defeat at the hand of a no-team Ireland and it is practically out of cup contention now. And it has happened during the period of general-president musharraf. It seems nothing is going straight for this general-president. The whole nation is in utter despondency due to this totally unexpected defeat, and is differently claiming en masse sacking and en masse resignation, nothing less. But this ignominy is not of today. The factors for such ignominies have been going side by side with the Pakistani cricket affairs, which have largely been ignored. The nation and the experts would become agitated with the failures, but soon forget everything and become happy on sparse successes in between.
But I always had a different view. My view was, the wins by Pakistan cricket team, and even of the hockey team, should be considered as bonus. Pakistan teams, run perennially under adhoc routines, do never expect and deserve any success in today’s highly professionalised and institutionalised world. But for this, the poor souls related to the games and affairs of cricket and hockey cannot be singled out for blaming, as we as a nation are a complete failure in developing and working of institutions. There is nowhere in our mindset to develop institutions and religiously follow systems and procedures. So we would not have any institution in our games’ setup is but natural and national.
The only sadness and sorrow in our hearts is that, it was expected under the rule of present general-president that we would see mushroom growth of institutions and development of minds for working in institutionalised environments. But instead, we have seen deterioration of the things. Instead of even seeing status quo being maintained, we are seeing heartless and mindless downward slide of the routines. (if ever any study is carried out by any of Pakistan’s students of management in the institutional setup in every states in Pakistan, this will become clear).
As I have said, I have been of these views since long, seeing the Pakistani issues vis-a-vis the others in my mind’s eyes. But seeing Pakistan’s complete failures in world cup of 1999, the last event of the previous millennium, I decided to give words to my thinking, and ultimate I wrote the following letter to the editors, and was published in the Daily the Business Recorder on 8 July 2001. I think the views stated in that letter still hold good even after passage of so many years.
______________________
The Business Recorder, 8-7-2001
Letter
“Defeat in Cricket�
By SASA Sayef Hussain (Islamabad, Pakistan)
Pakistan has again lost in the final of a cricket tournament, and not much unexpectedly. Though on the way to the final, Pakistan cricket showed some sparks and kindled some hope of winning the penultimate game, but inevitable was there – Pakistan lost emphatically. There would be much groaning, moaning and lamenting on the outcome.
But I think there is no need of it, because this is but a little manifestation of our grand national malaise. There is no cohesion in our thought and in our work, no objectivity, no aim, no goal and probably no wish and will in our national life. We have professional in all walks of life, like as in cricket, but no professionalism in any sphere. Our organizational and managerial outfits are all clueless, radarless, and visionless, and probably brainless. I cannot see any well knit fabric in any state apparels. Our national cricket and hockey teams, through their “disappointing performances over last many years, are glimpses of this grand national disarray. Make the nation a well knit whole, develop the institutional and organizational structures, coherent and fighting outfit of national teams will automatically emerge.
I may be sounding a bit negative, a bit skeptical, and a bit weird perhaps. But I think this is the truth. For this, probably, no body can be blamed singularly.
The nation as whole is falling short. To fill in the failing, some unscrupulous elements are forwarding the concept of our country being a “failed state�. No sir, the message must be loud and clear that, for our own, even though collective, failing the state cannot be failed. But to come out of this morass we need some rethinking. We need some intellectual guidance to see positively, move positively, approach positively and most importantly act and do coherently. We indeed need some philosophical guidance. Then we, as a nation, would be attaining much greater heights. The cricket and hockey fields would be just a small part of it.
Wolmer, gone.
Inzimam, gone.
Nasim Ashraf, its your turn. Take a lesson from Inzimam please.
I want to add this here and not in teh tribute post to Woolmer. The question is what will PCB and the Pakistan team now do to prepare for the future.
What are the next steps for the Pakistan team and the PCB. What should they be?
Seems like Pakistan is going through the worst phase possible…CJ issue, WC exit and now this ..its a really sad news and may God rest his soul in peace.
Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer has died after being discovered in his Jamaica hotel room on Sunday morning.
BBC - very sad news