Pakistan cricket remains in a stagnant and parlous state as it has been for the last few years, gasping to be resuscitated. In fact its situation is not dissimilar to the politics of the country itself which, having failed at all levels by the misadventure of successive governments, is now gaping in a dark and deep hole to be swallowed.

I am glad, however, that I am not a political pundit like some of those who have already started to write the demise. Therefore, I am not going to be uncharitable and would rather restrict myself to the game that I so adore and have followed, and have written about for more than three decades.

What really is cause for concern is that having lost the squash and hockey crown, the games which we so thoroughly dominated over the years, we now seem to be heading on a similar path of self destruction in cricket too.

If now we fail to raise the game’s dwindling profile as we have in the last few years, we may become cricket’s outcasts; may be we have already become one as the situation stands.

It surely, however, does not reflect on the stuff that we have within our team, barring a couple, but it certainly does point its finger on people that we have had through back doors into PCB’s offices to run a highly professional game which they managed only to destroy and were then shown the front door.

In that period we, unfortunately, suffered the ignominy of a forfeited Test at The Oval in 2006, a match we could have easily won. Player power, indiscipline within the team and ignorance and disrespect of the spirit of the game within the ranks of the PCB officials caused us huge humiliation.

The chairman of the board then, and his aide and successor were in fact mainly a part of the problem and are on record having admitted to the world media that the decision of not taking the field after the team was accused by Darrell Hair of ball tampering was unanimous. But when captain Inzamam-ul-Haq’s boat started to sink, the same men shamelessly shifted the blame on him.

The chairman then even donated half a million pounds to The Oval to have a room named after Pakistan, all from donations by the British Pakistanis. A gesture which to me is meaningless and could have done a lot more good for the game if spent for the development at the grass-root level in Pakistan.

Having got rid of that set up, were then lumbered with cowboys and joy-riders at the expense of PCB funds who wasted no time in throwing away cricketers’ money in all directions, including musical evenings, to please the president of the country and his cronies. Also from time to time involving themselves in litigations, suing their own players and in return being sued by them and then offering princely pardons. That kind of behaviour is unheard of within any board in recent times.

As a result the game now is at it’s lowest ebb. Pakistan has not played a single Test this year, at home or overseas. Australia showed us the red flag and did not fulfill its commitment to tour our country and the Champions Trophy too was postponed, causing millions in revenue loss.

The Indian tour of Pakistan remains in abyss and may not take place despite the present board’s best efforts.

Whereas India hosted Australia, and the surrogate child of the Tests — the Twenty20 — was completed by the ICL while the IPL is due for its second season, Pakistan may still remain in isolation.

Despite the recent turmoil in Mumbai and various other mishaps round Indian Test centres, India somehow have been able to lure the teams and also money whereas Pakistan is hoping against hope to get things right.

The present lot is busy to raise on its feet the suffering old age patient, the PCB, which over the years have been in the hands of quacks and not specialists. They have a job at hand and if only those now at the helm put into practice what they preach every day through statements, the job will be half done or else we will have no alternative other than to put our heads in the sand with shame.