How Pakistan's dressing room could tackle what has never been tried before in cricket - the return of a corrupted player
The Pakistan team in New Zealand is smack dab in the centre of an experiment like no other in cricket. They have in their midst a team-mate who, along with two others, served time in prison for accepting "corrupt payments" relating to a match and being part of a "conspiracy to cheat" his colleagues and the paying public.
The selection of Mohammad Amir for the tour to New Zealand meant that Pakistan have had to welcome into their dressing room someone who rooked them five years ago. It was as if the players and staff were given high-quality gear and told they absolutely must wear it even if it was uncomfortable and abrasive.
How do cricketers and team-mates handle what they have been dealt? The line between perpetrator and wrongdoing, once stark and established, must suddenly be completely erased. It is the senior men who must now guide the rest to work with the prodigal, a teenager who once duped them and disgraced their entire cricketing community. Amir himself must offer proof of a repaired integrity and earn afresh the faith of those in the inner sanctum, where he has been allowed in again.
Cricket finds itself at a key intersection on this twisting road through sporting retribution, remorse and redemption.
Talking to current and former players and support staff from several countries about Amir's situation is to be reminded of the complexity it contains - in human equations, man management and team psychology.
Shahid Afridi, Pakistan's T20 captain, and Misbah-ul-Haq, the Test captain, made the first moves. In the eyes of the wider public, Amir has his age and ability working in his favour. Contrary voices, particularly those of Mohammad Hafeez and ODI captain Azhar Ali, were forceful in their protest against Amir's inclusion. They felt what Ramiz Raja called the "pangs of betrayal".
"I was asked, 'Why did you do that to us?' I said, 'Look, there are things in life about which I can't even spare my father'
" AQIB JAVED ON DEPOSING AGAINST TEAMMATES BEFORE THE QAYUUM COMMISSION INTO MATCH-FIXING
Former Pakistan fast bowler Aaqib Javed has experienced the debilitating rage and bewilderment of betrayal twice over. In 1999, he deposed before the Qayuum Commission investigating the match-fixing allegations in Pakistan, and paid the price for speaking openly about some of the biggest names in his team: Saleem Malik, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis. Aaqib's playing career with Pakistan ended early and abruptly.
As coach and mentor, he watched Amir and Mohammad Asif grow as young bowlers, and in 2010 he was Pakistan's bowling coach in the Lord's dressing room when the News of the World story broke.
An intelligent, thoughtful man, Aaqib now coaches UAE. His deposition before the Qayuum Commission cost him treasured cricketing friendships that have taken 15 years to return to what he calls "talking terms", and have been replaced by "professional relations".
But he is steadfast about his stance on the issue and has no regrets. "Not at all… there is a point in your life where you have to say yes or no, and I did that," Aaqib says. "I'm one of those people who doesn't like these things. I have no problems with others who have a different point of view. This is the way I am."
Was he questioned by his team-mates about talking to Qayuum? "I was asked, 'Why did you do that to us?' I said, 'Look, there are things in life about which I can't even spare my father.' That's my point of view."
He is unamused by the fast-tracking of Amir, understands what Hafeez and Azhar feel, and wants them to find a way out of the rage and frustration. "They felt this is not right, but at the end of the day, you are not the ones who made the decisions," Aaqib says. "While they can have their point of view, they have to respect the decisions made." It is how he has made peace with the contradictions and compromises that thrive in cricket.
Waqar, now Pakistan's coach, is tackling a dressing-room situation that no other international coach has handled before.
The Pakistan team in New Zealand is smack dab in the centre of an experiment like no other in cricket. They have in their midst a team-mate who, along with two others, served time in prison for accepting "corrupt payments" relating to a match and being part of a "conspiracy to cheat" his colleagues and the paying public.
The selection of Mohammad Amir for the tour to New Zealand meant that Pakistan have had to welcome into their dressing room someone who rooked them five years ago. It was as if the players and staff were given high-quality gear and told they absolutely must wear it even if it was uncomfortable and abrasive.
How do cricketers and team-mates handle what they have been dealt? The line between perpetrator and wrongdoing, once stark and established, must suddenly be completely erased. It is the senior men who must now guide the rest to work with the prodigal, a teenager who once duped them and disgraced their entire cricketing community. Amir himself must offer proof of a repaired integrity and earn afresh the faith of those in the inner sanctum, where he has been allowed in again.
Cricket finds itself at a key intersection on this twisting road through sporting retribution, remorse and redemption.
Talking to current and former players and support staff from several countries about Amir's situation is to be reminded of the complexity it contains - in human equations, man management and team psychology.
Shahid Afridi, Pakistan's T20 captain, and Misbah-ul-Haq, the Test captain, made the first moves. In the eyes of the wider public, Amir has his age and ability working in his favour. Contrary voices, particularly those of Mohammad Hafeez and ODI captain Azhar Ali, were forceful in their protest against Amir's inclusion. They felt what Ramiz Raja called the "pangs of betrayal".
"I was asked, 'Why did you do that to us?' I said, 'Look, there are things in life about which I can't even spare my father'
" AQIB JAVED ON DEPOSING AGAINST TEAMMATES BEFORE THE QAYUUM COMMISSION INTO MATCH-FIXING
Former Pakistan fast bowler Aaqib Javed has experienced the debilitating rage and bewilderment of betrayal twice over. In 1999, he deposed before the Qayuum Commission investigating the match-fixing allegations in Pakistan, and paid the price for speaking openly about some of the biggest names in his team: Saleem Malik, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis. Aaqib's playing career with Pakistan ended early and abruptly.
As coach and mentor, he watched Amir and Mohammad Asif grow as young bowlers, and in 2010 he was Pakistan's bowling coach in the Lord's dressing room when the News of the World story broke.
An intelligent, thoughtful man, Aaqib now coaches UAE. His deposition before the Qayuum Commission cost him treasured cricketing friendships that have taken 15 years to return to what he calls "talking terms", and have been replaced by "professional relations".
But he is steadfast about his stance on the issue and has no regrets. "Not at all… there is a point in your life where you have to say yes or no, and I did that," Aaqib says. "I'm one of those people who doesn't like these things. I have no problems with others who have a different point of view. This is the way I am."
Was he questioned by his team-mates about talking to Qayuum? "I was asked, 'Why did you do that to us?' I said, 'Look, there are things in life about which I can't even spare my father.' That's my point of view."
He is unamused by the fast-tracking of Amir, understands what Hafeez and Azhar feel, and wants them to find a way out of the rage and frustration. "They felt this is not right, but at the end of the day, you are not the ones who made the decisions," Aaqib says. "While they can have their point of view, they have to respect the decisions made." It is how he has made peace with the contradictions and compromises that thrive in cricket.
Waqar, now Pakistan's coach, is tackling a dressing-room situation that no other international coach has handled before.
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