Former ICC President Zaheer Abbas
Retired batting legend and former ICC President Zaheer Abbas is confident of seeing international cricket returning to Pakistan, saying last month's PSL final was a step in the right direction.
Pakistan has not hosted a full fledged international series since March 2009 when Sri Lankan cricket team was attacked by gunmen in Lahore.
A three-match ODI series involving Pakistan and Zimbabwe in April 2015 was followed by the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final last month when a packed house turned up to see Peshawar Zalmi side beat Quetta Gladiators in the title clash.
"I am pretty confident that cricket will come back to Pakistan and that our kids will see their heroes on home soil," Abbas, a former Test captain, said during a TV interview broadcast yesterday.
"Gradually we will have to build on this (the PSL final in Lahore last month)," Abbas added.
"Thank God we had some quality cricket when the PSL final was played. I would say time will tell how Pakistan manages to get cricket back," Abbas, also known as the 'Asian Bradman' for his 108 first-class centuries, added.
Abbas said if international players were offered good sums of money, they would be willing to play in Pakistan without reservations.
"I met so many people in the UAE who said (PSL) players will come to Pakistan. They said you give them money because that is important. You know the life of a cricketer is pretty short. So (offer good money) and they (the top players) will play," he said.
The former captain said the present era Pakistan players were missing out home fan adulation with no international cricket being played since 2009.
"When we used to play cricket, we used to play in front of home fans. We used to prepare a great deal. We used to see fans riding on bikes and buses close to our travel coach (moving towards the stadium)," Abbas said.
"Zaheer, you have to score a 100", fans would tell me. There would be a procession of cars and bikes with us, honking noisily all the time.
"The fans would be with us until we reached the stadium. The fans used to respect us like that like we were heroes to them. We used to be welcomed by loud cheer to the batting crease by fans (in the stadiums). I think the modern-day players miss that kind of adulation," he recalled.
Abbas, who served as ICC President for a year with his term ending recently, said spot-fixing was damaging to Pakistan cricket and the game in general.
"This (spot-fixing menace) won't end so easily because mistakes have been made by our players and office-bearers (at the cricket board). If you wanted to finish this shady business then we should have done with when Justice Qayyum report had been made public," Abbas said in reference to a retired judge's investigation which was carried out nearly two decades ago.
"If we had followed what was said then, we may have been able to tackle this problem. Cricketers (these days) live like prisoners. When players move, they get scared that their names maybe linked to some people (linked to the spot-fixing menace).
"People who reach out to players to fix games have long arms. They have unbelievable reach and influence. Anyone who invests one rupee obviously intends to make a profit of four rupees. Our players must understand this," he said.
"ICC rules tell players everything they need to know. The players are shown pictures (of known bookies), they are informed that people may call you for meals or meetings. Players must have their eyes peeled at all times," Abbas warned.
"But if you are playing for the country, if you are playing for honour and if you are playing for the PCB crest on your shirt, then money can't temp you (to fix games)," Abbas said.
He said he was into golf to stay fit at the age of 69.
"I play golf (to stay fit). It's a great sport. It keeps the body moving. It's not just walking," Abbas said.
The former Pakistan batting stalwart - who also played the Kerry Packer series in the late 70s - said Indo-Pakistan series ought to be revived.
"Now we don't even play against each other. It's not nice," Abbas said.
"Now we have politics in sports. At the Champions Trophy in England, Pakistan and India will go head to head. You will see a houseful for the game as there will be tremendous interest among the fans. Keeping all these things in mind, the ICC must take steps (to regularise cricket exchanges between the two nations)," he said.
