Say Something; Do Something Else
By Mowahid Hussain Shah

The above caption alludes to what the ex-Pakistan coach, Mickey Arthur, observed when commenting on his ouster. He cited a pattern in Pakistan of words not matching actions. It fits the classic definition of Munafqat.
In a related vein, the ex-batting coach, Grant Flower, said that being in Pakistan was wonderful except for the “backstabbing ex-players.” The former Pakistani captain, Misbah, was a handpicked nominee of Mickey Arthur to be part of a panel to assess the existing state of Pakistan cricket. Misbah repaid the favor to knock out Arthur. Misbah then resigned from the panel and made a bee line for the job of head coach, for which, predictably, he got picked. He also became the chief selector as well as the batting coach – a lucrative package.
Conceptually, the optics suggest impropriety and conflict of interest. There is a legal adage that “Not only must Justice be done, it must also be seen to be done.” What Mickey Arthur referred to now harks back to what the conqueror, Babur, observed 500 years ago on the pervasive duality in the sociology of the Subcontinent.
Now for some fact-check. Misbah doesn’t have coaching credentials. His record as a captain is bloated by favorable results in the brutal heat of the United Arab Emirates, where opposing teams have often wilted. Overseas, his Test record in Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand is dismal: 0-3, 0-3, 0-2, respectively.
Under Mickey Arthur’s watch as head coach, Pakistan became number 1 in Test rankings when it beat England – on the back of a match-transforming 218 by Younis Khan – on Pakistan Day, August 14, 2016, at the Oval. I was fortunate to be there. Again at the Oval, under Mickey Arthur, Pakistan won the Champion’s Trophy – a tougher tournament than the World Cup – in June 2017. Mickey Arthur also spearheaded Pakistan to world #1 in T20. In the 2019 cricket World Cup in England, Pakistan had beaten both the eventual World Cup finalists, England and New Zealand.
There was a chatter in Pakistan that a Desi coach would work better than a foreign coach. But this is a false dichotomy. When the better question is, who would be the best man to get the job done, irrespective of passport. A foreign coach in Pakistan is less vulnerable to local pressures, sway of influentials, team groupings, and intrigue.
Does all of the foregoing matter? Yes, it does. With cricket predominant, Pakistan, in effect, is a single sport nation. Cricket transcends fault-lines and fosters a unifying bond. It gives international presence to the nation.
Fiasco followed immediately under Misbah’s stewardship, in that Pakistan got humiliatingly swamped by a second-string Sri Lanka side, right in the national HQ of cricket in Lahore. Wrong actions bring predictably poor results. Blame and shame looms.
Arbitrary whims, lack of transparency in decision-making, insufficient safeguard protocols, and permitting personal ambitions to overtake common concerns have been recurring themes in state and society. Cricket is not immune from this invasive trend.
When fresh medicine was the need of the hour, stale medicine is being persisted with, past its expiry date.
What has been a part of the problem cannot be a part of the solution.