Running with scissors

Few people were sure who was behind the eager thumbs up repeatedly given on the balcony of the Oval on that forfeited afternoon . In any case, to many it appeared a ridiculous gesture, in a situation so clearly thumbs down. The salt n' pepper beard, the sharp suit and the fair features convinced some that it was Ehsan Mani. Upon inquiry, it was revealed to be a Dr Nasim Ashraf. Who?

Six weeks later, Dr Who was PCB Chairman, through a typically labyrinthine Pakistani route and it turns out, he wasn't quite so unknown. He had been a member of the board's powerful ad-hoc committee for nearly two years. He is also chairman of the National Commission for Human Development and appears to have been a prominent member of the medical community while in the United States. Significantly, he is also a minister of state and close to President Musharraf, Pakistan's President and erstwhile patron of the PCB.

He has a cricket career, which will surprise many, though it doesn't make for much reading. Three first-class matches for Peshawar in the 1969-70 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy as a middle-order batsman yielded 50 runs, a highest of 21 and a duck on debut.

Whether a past as a cricketer helps to run cricket is a moot point. He already has more on his plate than chairmen in most other countries have in an entire tenure. The doping scandal is an immediate concern, unwanted and unplanned for. But in quickly setting up a tribunal and readily calling the players back, he cannot be faulted (the self-congratulatory tone thereafter can) and the tribunal will come to whatever decision it needs to. Unexpected also is the trifling matter of the £800,000 compensation claim made by the ECB, a nasty remnant of the Oval forfeit. The PCB has refused to pay; Ashraf has cited Darell Hair, and by default the ICC, as the "central villain of the piece," but acknowledged also that Inzamam-ul-Haq's no-show hampered Pakistan's cause. The stance is strong, bullish and very unlike his predecessor.

What he might do, actually, is to solve he (in)famous case of the missing board constitution. Promises have been made and deadlines placed; the President, whose approval is needed, will see it on November 1. For the rest of us unwashed, January 1 is the date to jot down. The previous board promised a constitution within three to four months throughout nearly three years and none emerged so note to self: don't hold breath.

Little has been said about domestic cricket, save the compulsories: yes, it would be dandy if the stars played domestic cricket; yes, grassroots cricket needs to be revitalised; yes, city clubs, and not streets, should be the nursery. It is perhaps testament to at least one achievement of the previous administration. The Quaid-e-Azam trophy involves regions (hurrah, says Imran Khan), it has two divisions, promotion and relegation and its players now have contracts. Best of all, a committed sponsor has already provided financial spark. The only obvious challenge is to find a new, equally if not more lucrative sponsor, as the current contract is in its final season.

But it is the chairman's remarks on religion that has really revved up the chattering classes. In a television interview, Ashraf said that the team needed to balance religion and cricket, to not impose beliefs on anyone and to avoid ostentatious displays of religiosity. It caught most on the hop and murmurs began. Mushtaq Ahmed was sacked as assistant coach and Mohammad Yousuf replaced as captain as soon as he took over. Both decisions had sensible reasons too but people asked whether their beards had anything to do with it. Sohaib Alvi, a noted writer, was moved to suggest in Dawn that the team's "de-Islamisation" was the chairman's hidden agenda.

Understandably, people see the President's hand in this. He recently told the team to broaden their horizons beyond religion. Alongside his vision of an enlightened, moderate Pakistan, an overtly religious team doesn't sit comfortably. Previously he has also grappled with religion, trying to repeal a blasphemy law, trying to remove the 'religion' column from passports, and trying to do something, anything to the Hudood Ordinance (a law seen by many to discriminate against women). All, incidentally, met with little success.

For the record, the few players Cricinfo has spoken to strenuously deny assertions that there is pressure. Inzamam himself has strongly rebutted the accusations. But Shoaib Akhtar alluded to something similar in an interview with the monthly Herald a few months back. Officials past and present in the PCB privately do express concern. And at least one source close to the team confirmed reports from the England tour that late night prayers affected preparations and that the team became too insular.

Make of it what you will, but it would have been wiser for Ashraf to keep matters private. The role faith has played in uniting Inzamam's men has been widely acknowledged and celebrated in and outside Pakistan. Questioning it, unless there is a real problem, isn't smart. And as a rule, it is wise to tread around religious matters delicately. Insults and blasphemy are seen easily where there might be none, questioning is often taken as criticism. Harmless as it appears to non-Pakistanis, such public statements are incendiary - brave to a few - but with repercussions nonetheless.

Already religious parties have condemned him. Inzamam regrettably, has made it personal by questioning, indirectly, Ashraf's own faith, forcing the chairman into hasty self-defence. Many others will view him with suspicion purely because of what he said. And he hasn't even been chairman a month. Many more headaches await him - that is a given with PCB chairmen. There is little need for a self-inflicted migraine.