PCB must take firm action against former Pakistan pace bowler Sarfraz Nawaz for his unsubstantiated and uncontrolled outbursts against the organization using his friends in the media.

By Amir Husain (2nd February, 2015)

Whilst we may well have become desensitized to Sarfraz Nawaz’s constant ramblings to any media outlet craving for attention or ratings with his sensational rants, his latest attacks on the Pakistan Cricket Board cannot simply be discarded as eccentric behaviour and seem to reveal a rather more sinister aspect of the former Pakistan bowler’s personality.

For example, in his interview with two separate national English newspapers on Jan. 30, Sarfraz offered vehement criticism on a number of issues including the workings of the PCB and their handling of the Mohammad Amir case along with the Board of Governors member's alleged joyrides, while also targeting the PCB’s Chief Operating Officer Subhan Ahmad in general and unsubstantiated terms.

So, what is the driving force behind this vendetta against the PCB, apart from the now well established propensity for media attention?
According to sources close to the PCB, the real reason for Sarfraz’s salvos aimed at the Board are centered on his demand for a pension from the Board which is being blocked at the highest levels – exactly in accordance with the rules.

What Sarfraz refuses to acknowledge despite being explained this in detail is that the rules dictate that anyone employed by the Board in any capacity cannot be paid a pension. Many former cricketers in the employ of the Board have been treated similarly. But Sarfraz feels that he must be treated in an exclusive manner – in absolute disregard of the rules.

The casual observer would be forgiven to show some sympathy to Sarfraz’s ‘plight’ until one considers the more than reasonable compensation he has been receiving from the PCB – indeed said to be nearly eight times his pension!

To be specific, his retainer is Rs 100,000 per month, while on the days he is on a coaching assignment with the players at the National Cricket Academy or elsewhere, he receives Rs 15,000 as daily allowance, in addition to the expense on his board and lodge. His overall yearly package comes to around Rs 2.5 million a year!

What is really mind boggling is that in a country where many ex-cricketers are struggling to make ends meet but choose to go about their daily lives without a whimper and with dignity, we have the ungrateful likes of Sarfraz making outlandish claims of impropriety, to further a cause which is downright improper in so many ways.

Why this situation has arisen also deserves some thought and one can only surmise that it’s perhaps the weakness in the top echelons of PCB to be able to deal with such cases in the firm manner befitting an organization of its stature.

In the past many former players and officials have used their contacts in the mainstream media to further their own causes and put pressure on the PCB without considering the proper methods and channels for such disputes. Mohsin Khan, Javed Miandad and Abdul Qadir have all raised issues to settle personal scores. Taking pot shots at the top management in the PCB has become a favourite pastime for some looking for a job or a favour to buy their silence. This practice needs to stop before the authority of the PCB is undermined to an extent that it will end up as a toothless organization.

It is a well-accepted fact that the PCB of today is far removed from the organization of yesteryears where decisions were based upon ad-hoc considerations and political expediency. The PCB of today has shown the ability to organize itself on professional lines and this is exactly why it is showing the resolve to challenge the behaviour of former players like Sarfraz Nawaz, which is essential to protect the reputation of the entity tasked with the safeguard and promotion of cricket in Pakistan.

The time has come to act without prejudice to take action on such individuals who are employed by the PCB and who waste no time in biting the hands that feed them, undermining Pakistan cricket in the bargain. The time is ripe to either terminate their positions or at least put them in the dock and insert penal clauses in their contracts, just as has been done with the centrally contracted players.

Sarfraz may feel that his service to the Pakistan cricket has earned him the carte blanche to wreak havoc with the PCB as and when he desires – for personal gain. Distasteful as it may seem, the PCB needs to take this behaviour head on with all the might of its institutional and legal clout and stop this nonsense before it becomes free-for-all amongst ex-cricketers it employs – not to mention the many coveting plum jobs.

Discuss