Something about Nothing

I don’t know what is going on inside PCB, but I am (almost) sure that we are going to loose one of the best off-spinners in Pakistan because of the policies of PCB.

In case you can don’t who I am talking about, it is one of the best off-spinners, one of the few bowlers who have scored a hat-trick in Test Matches and ODI, and one of the rare bowlers who have scored Hat-Tricks in World Cup, Saqlain Mushtaq.

You know this a standard practice with in our Pakistani nature, we change our views and opinions about any other player just with the change of the upper management, and no one except the up-coming talent suffers and get disheartened when we see favoritism and hetaerism.

I would dare to ask the officials why is Saqlain Mushtaq being totally ignored ?. Is there any one reason that we are not allowing him to play for Pakistan, and at the same time it looks like he *might* end up playing for the England team.

What would be the reaction of our officials when we will be seeing that our own off-spinner is taking wickets against us?. Where are the officials going to hide when we will see that Saqlain Mushtaq was ignored because some one in the selection team might not liked him ?. What would the chief selector would reply when the journalist are going to ask him ‘What was the reason you did not selected him (Saqlain Mushtaq), and now he is taking wickets against you?’.

This is not the first time that we see players being ignored by unknown reasons (perhaps the selectors did not liked him, perhaps the coach had something against him, perhaps the captain was not favoring him, who knows what ?). And you see them coming out with different colored shirts and delivering the exact same (and may be even better) performance.

I am sorry Saqlain, I am sorry.

I am sorry that you had the skills but no one liked (selecting) you.

I am sorry that you were in-form, but some one stood up for you.

I am sorry that you made World Records, but we did not care for the record holders you.

I am sorry that you were rated among the best off-spinners, but we had other ‘favored’ players who had more support.

I am sorry that you were a Pakistani, and we don’t respect our own talent here in Pakistan.

I am sorry that upcoming sportsman will have another reason not to play for Pakistan, but perhaps they should think the other way around, may be anther country will allow them.

I am sorry that this happened in Pakistan, but we are used to this.

I am sorry, that you were born in Pakistan, but this our practice this is what we do to our national heros !

[Written in response to the news on CricInfo about Saqlain Mushtaq possibility playing for the England team in 2008, he is currently 30 years of age]