08-31-2010, 12:32 PM
ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Cricket team has not only disappointed its fans across the globe but also tarnished the image of the country after a news break alleged 7 of its players involved in match-fixing. As it had been predicted earlier by this correspondent, lack of killer instinct let the English side set a big target for the visiting team notwithstanding the fact that the English top order had collapsed before making 100 runs. The skipper Salman Butt didn’t show consistent aggressive attack and as a result J, Trott and S, Broad made a world record partnership, breaking the record previously held by Wasim Akram and Saqlain Mushtaq.
Had Butt used his bowlers in accordance with the developing match scenario the results would have been completely different. The team’s performance under Salman Butt’s captaincy is gradually declining with every passing day, in fact Salman Butt’s own record as a batsman after becoming captain has not remained impressive. Since then he has not played a single inning in which he could score a century or even a half-century. The country has never witnessed such a shameful loss throughout its history. The way Salman Butt was given the captaincy raised many questions. It had been feared by some people the extra burden of captaincy would affect his own performance, which had been observed in the past too when he was made the vice-captain and he failed to cope with the pressure and ultimately lost his place in the national side.
After the defeat at the hands of England, there came to the fore another disappointing news in which it was told that seven key members of Pakistani team including captain Salman Butt were allegedly involved in match fixing in the third test played at Lords. It was further said that Salman Butt’s close aide Mazhar Majeed, an England based bookie of Pakistani origin, had his role in the fixing of the game. It has happened not for the first time that the Pakistani cricketers were dragged into fixing scandal. Had the PCB taken action in the past against the players’ involvement in match fixing and if it had given away strict punishments to the culprits no one could have dared to repeat this shameful again.
Had Butt used his bowlers in accordance with the developing match scenario the results would have been completely different. The team’s performance under Salman Butt’s captaincy is gradually declining with every passing day, in fact Salman Butt’s own record as a batsman after becoming captain has not remained impressive. Since then he has not played a single inning in which he could score a century or even a half-century. The country has never witnessed such a shameful loss throughout its history. The way Salman Butt was given the captaincy raised many questions. It had been feared by some people the extra burden of captaincy would affect his own performance, which had been observed in the past too when he was made the vice-captain and he failed to cope with the pressure and ultimately lost his place in the national side.
After the defeat at the hands of England, there came to the fore another disappointing news in which it was told that seven key members of Pakistani team including captain Salman Butt were allegedly involved in match fixing in the third test played at Lords. It was further said that Salman Butt’s close aide Mazhar Majeed, an England based bookie of Pakistani origin, had his role in the fixing of the game. It has happened not for the first time that the Pakistani cricketers were dragged into fixing scandal. Had the PCB taken action in the past against the players’ involvement in match fixing and if it had given away strict punishments to the culprits no one could have dared to repeat this shameful again.