Foreign Correspondence #3

PL on Beau Webster's throwaway line, Cummins worries, Pakistan, India and all that dirty stuff

Marnus mounting a comeback campaign

The only thing that matters is runs, Marnus Labuschagne boldly declared as he filled his pockets with a domestic century.

Well, yes and no. In Dubai this week, the Pakistan was briefly, delusionally and hypocritically convinced that the spirit of cricket was paramount. The Paskistan board was so upset by India’s refusal to shake hands before or after their Asia Cup match it threatened to pull its team from the tournament unless, checks notes, Zimbabwean match referee Andy Pycroft was punished. As grim as the situation was, you could not have diverted attention or muddied the waters any more if you’d been hired to run crisis control for the BCCI.

ICYMI: Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav refused to shake hands with Salman Agha at the toss when India played Pakistan, and the entire side snubbed Pakistan after the match. Was it political, you may ask? Damn right it was.

"Our government and BCCI — we were aligned today," Suryakumar said at his post-match press conference.

Cricket Et Al published an excellent piece on the situation by Yale lecturer and former member of the Indian military, Sushant Singh. If you haven’t read that analysis, I urge you to. While, in simple human terms, it would have been nice to see the players of both sides act with the sort of warmth they have displayed on the field in the past, this issue seems to run deeper. It has surprised me this week to learn just how much antipathy there had been in India toward the government and board over this match. At least one senior Indian correspondent refused to file a report from the match, and many questioned the propriety of the game continuing.

Pakistan, however, did not cover itself in glory by engaging in a standoff ahead of its next match, an event that was thoroughly covered here by our friends at Cricbuzz. The PCB’s reaction to the snub was shambolic, but unfortunately that’s what we’re coming to expect from its current administration.

OF POLITICS IN CRICKET

You can bang the table all you like from any position you like, but the International Cricket Council updated its code of conduct around political interference in the game in 2017 and it clearly states where the game is on political interference in the governance and administration of the game:

“(A board) must at all times manage its affairs autonomously and ensure that there is no government (or other public or quasi-public body) interference in its governance, regulation and/or administration of Cricket in its Cricket Playing Country (including in operational matters, in the selection and management of teams, and in the appointment of coaches or support personnel).”

PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who was involved in Pakistan’s humiliation on and off the field, is a firm believer in the separation of church and state, explaining:

"We believe that politics and sports can't go together. This is sport, and let it remain a sport. Cricket should be separate from all this.”

Surely that isn’t the same Mohsin Naqvi who is Pakistan’s Interior Minister?

The PCB chairman, who was appointed by the caretaker prime minister in 2024 and has overseen a period of extraordinary decline?

The same Mohsin Naqvi who earlier this year rejected the selection panel’s choices for the Champions Trophy?

Former captain Mohammad Rizwan, for one, is no fan of the political appointee:

"I don't know what Mohsin Naqvi is good at, but I am certain he is not effective in cricket administration. As PCB chairman, he hasn't contributed anything meaningful to the country's cricket. During his tenure, five captains were changed, and the entire coaching staff was replaced. One mistake followed another and every time a previous mistake was to be corrected, another wrong decision was made. This proves that Naqvi is not capable of leading cricket affairs.”

BUT, HEY, WHEN IN ROME

Et Al reported earlier in the week that Harbhajan Singh is among the nominees to take over the role of BCCI president. Now we learn there will be an informal meeting to examine the candidates scheduled for Delhi 20.

The BCCI meeting is, according to reports, to be held in the residence of BJP strongman and home minister Amit Shah. Presumably, Amit’s son Jay will be lured from his bedroom to mingle with the visitors. Some dads buy their kids a cricket bat, some might even buy them a place in a team or an academy, but imagine having a dad who could buy you all of Indian cricket. The BCCI President is not renowned for his people skills.

Cricket nepo baby Jay with dad Amit