They were not in a hole, it was a ravine full of muck. Terrorist
attacks, spot-fixing, team politics, retirements, players going to jail –
you name it. It took a root-deep shovel to find the firm ground where
Pakistan cricket stands today, having swept the No. 1 Test side 3-0 in a
home-away-from-home series in the UAE.
The year 2010 was perhaps the worst year for Pakistan cricket. Shahid
Afridi relinquished the Test captaincy owing to team politics and bad
form in Test cricket. And much to Pakistan's misfortune, Salman Butt was
made the leader. The devil of spot-fixing raised its head during the
tour of England, leading to dire consequences.
For the first time in the game's history, three cricketers – Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir – were convicted for charges of conspiracy and cheating, and were eventually jailed in 2011.
Misbah-ul-Haq was named the captain after the disgraceful episode in England. However, that's not where the differences ended. Afridi and coach Waqar Younis made news during the team's West Indies tour in 2011. Dirty linen was then washed in public, with Afridi accusing there are "disgraceful" people in the PCB who could not tolerate outspoken persons like him. In the end, Afridi announced his 'third' retirement from international cricket and Waqar too relinquished the Pakistan coaching job. That Afridi called off his retirement later on is an altogether different story.
The year 2010 was perhaps the worst year for Pakistan cricket. Shahid
Afridi relinquished the Test captaincy owing to team politics and bad
form in Test cricket. And much to Pakistan's misfortune, Salman Butt was
made the leader. The devil of spot-fixing raised its head during the
tour of England, leading to dire consequences.For the first time in the game's history, three cricketers – Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir – were convicted for charges of conspiracy and cheating, and were eventually jailed in 2011.
Misbah-ul-Haq was named the captain after the disgraceful episode in England. However, that's not where the differences ended. Afridi and coach Waqar Younis made news during the team's West Indies tour in 2011. Dirty linen was then washed in public, with Afridi accusing there are "disgraceful" people in the PCB who could not tolerate outspoken persons like him. In the end, Afridi announced his 'third' retirement from international cricket and Waqar too relinquished the Pakistan coaching job. That Afridi called off his retirement later on is an altogether different story.
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