Not a Gentleman’s Game

Not a Gentleman’s Game is about Arif Ali Khan Abbasi’s time in cricket and events he was personally involved in. He has spoken about what he believes to be, which is to create an environment in which the game of cricket flourishes and to provide an effective infrastructure, empowering the teams to fulfill their potential. From his first appointment as Secretary of the BCCP in early 1980 by Air Marshal Nur Khan, he has been courted by cricket wherever he went. Shortly after his appointment, Pakistan initiated the concept of the Asian Cricket Council, aimed at bringing all the Asian cricket boards closer together and promoting the sport throughout the continent. He speaks about the ICC match referees and how the idea was born, carries us through various events, putting the records straight. He tells us about overcoming isolation, confronting Indian power and how Pakistan took the lead in bidding for the 1983 World Cup for the Reliance World Cup of 1987 without any support from India. He talks about the triumph of the Pakistani team in the Nehru Cup. The readers are also treated to the big story about World Cup in 1996 and the sponsorship of $8 million by Wills; a sum that has never been equalled by any other single sponsor. The setting up of rebuilding projects to lift the ground facilities, playing conditions, and security measures to meet the standard set by ICC, National Stadium, Karachi and Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, received a thorough overhaul at a cost of Rs 80 million and Rs 90 million, respectively. One finds out that during his tenure Pakistan was the sole country that voiced changes and implemented them. Changes like the third country umpires, ICC referees, professional managers, ball boys, commercialization of the World Cup of cricket and making it into a second largest tournament after the Football World Cup, creation of the Asian Cricket Council and finally the Asia Cup. The reader also gets to know about the details of the conversion of PCB into a corporation introducing the disciplines and professionalism of corporate culture in the management of the game in Pakistan. Abbasi ensured that the board would be transparent in its financial dealings and accountable to its stakeholders thereby helping the PCB to break free from the shackles of political interference. Arif Ali Khan Abbasi has been the only person to be in an official position in the PCB for twelve and a half years and takes his reader along on his interesting journey from domestic cricket to making a mark on the international cricket scene. The reader discovers his deep understanding of the game and how he made sure that cricket never suffered without ever compromising Pakistan’s position and Pakistan’s interest at the international forum. Not a Gentleman’s Game tells us that democracy is the oxygen of cricket in Pakistan. Democracy means full debate, discussion, and involvement in key decisions by all the stakeholders of Pakistan cricket.