Lets' forget the spot-fixing saga and move forward by branding the Pakistan cricket team in a positive way

The horrible spot-fixing trial has ended drawing down curtails of one of the most sordid and shameful sagas in the history of cricket. The guilty players and their agent have been given jail sentence. With this saga, the respect and honour earned by a nation through hardships and pain has been affected badly. At present, Pakistan is being recognized as a cricket team full of corruption and crooked heads.

But this has to change. And it’s the duty of the players, the board and above all the media.

After the retirement of Imran khan, the Pakistanis themselves, including their media have done nothing but tarnished their cricket heroes’ image by various ways. Even the legends, who have gifted the nation enormous pride and honour, too had been put in real shame. And this practice kept on continuing for almost two decades and for which the Pakistani cricketers lost respect and pride outside Pakistan.

No team is free from ego clashes or problems. No team is a happy family. But they remain happy or they are branded as a happy family by their media and their ardent supporters.

The best example is India.

The way the Indians pay rich tribute to their cricketing heroes, it simply keeps the flame of patriotism enlightened each time the men in blue take the field. You can’t point a finger towards Tendulkar and co. You can’t brand them as bad as the nation and the board is behind them. Automatically, the players feel the urge to payback this faith and honour gifted to them by their nation. And for this reason India is shining brightly.

In contrast, Pakistan has been too harsh and rude towards their cricketers. Their board and the media have been too harsh towards their heroes and time and again it has made them a joke in front of the cricketing world.   

The TV channels love the maasala news as it gives them billions of viewers. It increases their TRP and perhaps for this reasons the Pakistani media attract others by portraying their cricketers as bad.

Controversies will occur, crime will take place but how the media, the supporters and the board officials’ deal with it, is very important. Bringing every issue in front of the world stage will always make things worse. The Pakistani media should be more mature in handling such things.

Again, along with the media the Pakistani cricketers too have to understand on what a country’s respect and honour depend upon. The way Afridi scripted his retirement story, simply made Pakistan a laughing stock and so did Younis Khan with his captaincy story and so was Mohamamd Yousuf with his retirement. And in terms of stupidity, the ex-PCB chairman, Ijaz Butt had beaten all of them with his illogical and idiotic acts.

More mature and dynamic personalities are needed in Pakistan cricket which is at present in a rut. The air is polluted and a solid person is needed to open the windows to let the fresh air enter in to Pakistan cricket from the majestic mountains they have.

At present, with the end of the spot-fixing saga, the prophets of doom and gloom have ebbed away from Pakistan cricket. The gangrene has been removed and the body has been saved. The body requires proper rehabilitation. And for this rehabilitation enough self esteem and dignity is needed in the PCB, among the cricketers and the media.

Pakistan cricket should be branded positively which requires active identification and location of the subjects. It has the most outstanding and charismatic history and obviously possesses the most gifted talents which the other countries only think of. The present Pakistan team is moving well under Misbah and it’s not that they won’t stem up with another controversy. But the onus is on the media and the board on how they handle it. By not making it public will be the right way to keep the good image of a country.

Let’s forget the whole dark chapter and let’s brand Pakistan cricket in a positive way.  

Thank You

Faisal Caesar