To say that Pakistan cricket hasn’t had a roller coaster of issues and controversy in the past couple of seasons is an understatement.
How much of an understatement? Well let’s see.
It all started in August, 2006 when Inzamam-ul-Haq refused to take his team back onto the field against England after umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove alleged Pakistan were tampering with the ball. The win was awarded to England for Pakistan’s refusal to finish the match.
ul-Haq was stood down as captain ahead of the Champions Trophy hosted in India, in November and Younis Khan was appointed as team leader. He resigned because he thought he was simply a pawn and Mohammad Yousuf was appointed. A day later and Younis was again appointed captain after everyone saw the error of their ways.
A day later and Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif were suspended for failing doping tests and were bundled out of the tournament.
When the 2007 World Cup rolled around with ul-Haq back at the helm, their coach Bob Woolmer was found dead in his hotel room in Jamaica after Pakistan lost to Ireland in the first match. Initial claims he was murdered were dismissed but they exited the tournament nonetheless.
After a series of top-level changes in coaching the team made the final of the 2007 Twenty20 World Cup beaten by India.
The following year cricket in Pakistan took a back seat to domestic terrorism and after several leading countries declared they would not compete at the Champions Trophy, which was supposed to be held in Pakistan in 2008, the ICC postponed the tournament and not long after shifted it to South Africa, again for security concerns.
Hopes that 2009 would usher in a brighter future were dashed when six Sri Lankan players were injured and six police officers were killed when their bus was attacked by gunmen.
Sport finally won out and Pakistan put all the turmoil behind them and won the 2009 Twenty20 World Cup.
Now they head into the Champions Trophy as a middle of the field team, bookmakers placing them at +650, a good investment if they perform up to standards.
Mohammad Asif’s return from his drug ban will of course cause a flurry of media interest but Pakistan seem to have a new resolve, a plan to stay away from anything that isn’t cricket.
And here is hoping that is the case because the last thing that anyone wants to see is a team haunted by so many ghosts of the past.
The team:
Younus Khan
Fawad Alam
Iftikhar Anjum
Imran Nazir
Kamran Akmal
Misbah-ul-Haq
Mohammad Yousuf
Mohammad Aamer
Mohammad Asif
Naved-ul-Hasan
Saeed Ajmal
Shahid Afridi
Shoaib Malik
Umar Akmal
Umar Gul
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