West Indies vs Pakistan - The Series That Wasn't

It was almost as if it never happened. The Pakistani's quietly took away a 3-2 victory over the West Indies, and with a minimum of fuss and exposure, we will move on to the test series soon. Blink and you'd have missed it, particularly since cricket headlines have been surrounded with "Gayle Smashes Unbelievable Ton!" and the like.

But lets wonder for a minute, what if both the West Indies and Pakistan had picked the absolute best teams available to them? What if the cricket world was free of injuries, the IPL, spot fixing, and dodgy selections?

And the odd spontaneous trip to London. © Associated Press

The Real Pakistan

1. Salman Butt (c)

2. Mohammad Hafeez

3. Ahmed Shahzad

4. Mohammad Yousuf

5. Misbah Ul-Haq

6. Shahid Afridi

7. Abdul Razzaq

8. Zulqarnain Haider (w)

9. Mohammad Aamir

10. Umar Gul

11. Mohammad Asif

Unlucky: Saeed Ajmal, very good backup at least.

Unwanted: The trigger happy Akmals and Younis Khan, who looks more and more weary all the time.

Look at that bowling line-up, easily the best in the world in fact if they fielded that squad. Afridi is a little over animated (if there is such a thing) as captain, and would prefer Butt to take the reins.

The Real West Indies


1. Chris Gayle (c)

2. Adrian Barath

3. Darren Bravo

4. Ramnaresh Sarwan

5. Shiv Chanderpaul

6. Kieron Pollard

7. Dwayne Bravo

8. Devon Thomas (w)

9. Kemar Roach

10. Jerome Taylor

11. Devendra Bishoo


Unlucky: Darren Sammy. I like the guy, but he just doesn't quite contribute enough, more like a poor man's Vettori at this stage. Fidel Edwards, Ravi Rampaul and Andre Russell wait in the wings as adequate backup. I like Dwayne Smith, he could slot in as a backup Pollard, who I don't like but admit has talent.


Unwanted: Suliemann Benn, full marks for attitude, but not much for impact. 

No extra points for tossing players around either. © Getty

Who would win that series? It doesn't matter! Look at those line-ups, and even if Pakistan came away 3-2 just like it transpired, the matches would have been infinitely more interesting than what looked like a Pakistan A tour of West Indies A. We would have the dream bowling attack versus the most colorful and explosive batting line-up.

Of the teams listed, only four from either side were in the current teams. In a perfect world the players would be free of politics, greed and corruption, and we would be treated to cricket at its highest quality.


Too bad then that we don't live in a perfect world.

Pakistan vs Corruption - Only Half the Job Done

And so the verdict finally comes out.
http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci-icc/content/current/story/499614.html

• Salman Butt - 10 years 

•  Mohammad Asif - 7 years 

•  Mohammad Amir -  5 years

This includes all cricket, domestic or international. If all the bans were carried out in their entirety, it means that Butt and Asif will probably never return to international cricket (they will be 36 and 35 years old respectively). Only Amir, who will be 23 will be back.

The bans are crucially important to Pakistani and world cricket. They are a symbol of the state of corruption in Pakistan, and the level of tolerance from the ICC. But here is the kicker, the bans are only as good as long as they are actually enforced. 


In Pakistan, ban's seem to disappear like magic and disgusting on-field acts result in a slap on the wrists.

Taking the slang 'cherry' a bit too far.

If this trio end up back on the field before their allotted time, the symbols are crushed. It basically tells us that Pakistan does not take cricketing corruption seriously, and neither does the ICC.

This is what worries me, from the article we see the following:
"...which means that the trio cannot play any official, sanctioned cricket, international or domestic, for a minimum of five years...". Hold on, a minimum of five years?. What happened to the original numbers? 


"The suspended sentences on Butt and Asif have been made conditional on their making no further breaches of the code and participating in an anti-corruption education programme...". So let me get this straight, as long as they make no further breaches, during five years of not playing the game at all, and turning up to a few night classes reminding them that "corruption is bad, naughty boys", their bans will be reduced to that minimum of five?


"It must also be noted that not until the full judgement is released will the picture become fully clear..." In other words, what you just read could be utter tripe.


"Amir will appeal against the decision..." What on earth can the man possibly appeal on? He has no excuse, no refuting evidence, and the lightest of the three bans. He's lucky he even has a cricketing future.


"Now, in theory, the 26-year-old Butt could return after five years...". I give up.

In terms of dealing with corruption, this is the big one, the pinnacle. The evidence indisputable, and the the excuses nil. If this situation gets molly coddled like the rest, then cricket is in serious trouble.

Reading between the lines in the article above, I think we know where this is heading.