Wednesday, October 25, 2006

PCB should not interfere with players' religiosity

According to an article in Cricinfo, The Pakistan Cricket Board,(PCB) Chairman Dr. Nassim Ashraf has commented on Pakistani players religiosity saying that, "There is no doubt their religious faith is a motivating factor in the team. It binds them together. But there should be balance between religion and cricket."

Ashraf has called up Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Pakistan captain, who has strongly denied accusations that he was putting players in the team under pressure to pray.

Inzaman hit back saying all those talking about our religious activities have never offered prayers and nor do they have any link to Islam.

PCB has had enough problems recently, their team forfeited a test match at Oval and their captain has been banned 4 ODI matches for bringing the game to dispute. Two days before the Pakistan team left for the current world cup in India, the incident of a revolving captaincy finally ended up with the Board Chairman's resignation.

In comes Dr. Nassim Ashraf as the new chairman of PCB and many thought things would turn out for the better.

Two days before the Pakistan team began their campaign in India, the two fast bowlers Akhtar and Asif were declared to have tested positive for drugs and were sent home.

Clearly PCB has enough problems on its plate. PCB should support the team , inspire and motivate the players to perform at their best without worrying about why they are praying.

No comments: