A Nation of Cheats?

Shaoib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif have been recalled from the Champions Trophy because they tested positive for the banned steroid, Nandrolone. Few people I’ve talked to were surprised that Shoaib Akhtar was found out, it would have been a bigger surprise if his tests had turned out negative. Asif’s presence though is slightly surprising and from a purely cricketing point of view, unfortunate. He had a bright future ahead of him and this will be a big dent to his career, though if indeed the charges are proven, he deserves to be banned for at least a year and possibly more.

The whole sordid saga of Pakistan cricket in recent weeks raises a bigger issue though, which is the question posed in the title of this blog, and whose answer to me at least is quite clear and has been for some years now.

The Pakistan cricket team is nothing but a microcosm of the nation itself and will obviously comprise of individuals steeped in the same values as the rest of the nation. This simile is apt in more ways than one. The team like the nation is inclined heavily towards religion, and both have completely failed to understand the basics of it, though I’m not quite sure if knowing the fundamentals would help any or improve things any.

Every individual in the country is looking for a short cut to success, the team is no different.

The team like the nation is led by a clueless leader whose claim to the top job is anything but merit. Inzamam is probably the greatest batsman Pakistan has ever produced, but captain material he’s not, and does not deserve to be. As for the leader of the nation, don’t get me started.

And finally what despairs us all, there’s obvious potential in the nation and the cricket team, neither has lived up to it, and neither is likely to live up to it in the near future.

Wherever you go in the world the word ‘Pakistani’ is synonymous with unethical and rude behaviour. Whether it is the Taxi Cab driver in New York or Toronto, the sweeper or electrician in Kuwait or the embassy staff in any High Commission, if it is a Pakistani you’re interacting with don’t expect amiability. Want to see the difference, here’s a little experiment you might do: in any major city in the world, go into a restaurant run by an Indian and then one run by a Pakistani. The later will always, without fail, be more rude, more sullen and more rigid in his dealings. Is it any wonder we are where we are and are headed we are.