“Pak Player Still Not Paid for T20 World Cup”: Geoff Lawson

ISLAMABAD - A Pakistani player has not yet received his payment for the Twenty20 World Cup, and this sort of unprofessionalism in the Pakistan cricket is the prime reason behind its inability to fulfil its potential on the world stage, former Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson has said.

“Just yesterday I was speaking with a player who represented Pakistan at the T20 World Cup and he still has not been paid,” PakPassion.net quoted Lawson, as saying.

“To be a top side such as India, South Africa, England and Australia you need an administration that gives its players and its staff full support. The notion used for any successful organisation is that ‘people are our greatest asset’, however that is clearly not the direction of the current board as it tries to distance itself from its players,” he added.

Commenting on the Zulqarnain Haider episode, he said that the Pakistan Cricket Board should have supported the troubled wicketkeeper.

“With Zulqarnain the PCB should have supported the player and tried to find out the full story. They instead decide to rip up his contract.” Lawson said, adding, “That is not the way to treat your players.”

Talking of the ongoing Pakistan-South Africa series in the UAE, the former coach said that he still feels that Pakistan has much to offer world cricket. “They have just played a good ODI series against South Africa and they showed they are still a very competitive team, definitely still one of the top playing nations.”

Lawson expressed his amazement over how Pakistan can still perform even with all the controversies and the constant pressure, saying, “The way they play, it amazes me how well they play without the support from their board. Just imagine how well they could play with a proper structured administration which supported its players.”

However, looking ahead to next year’s World Cup in the subcontinent, Lawson rated Pakistan’s chances at the prestigious event as “modest”.

“Pakistan can beat any side on any given day but in a long tournament like the World Cup, consistency is required which they do not have,” he explained.

Lawson believed it was the poor selection policy that was to be blamed for the inconsistency. “There is an ad-hoc selection system and there is no planning involved. They need to pick 15-16 players and stick with them for an extended period,” he said. (ANI)