Rameez Raja and Aamer Sohail, please shut up!

If I had a rupee for every time I read or heard Rameez Raja and Aamer Sohail criticise Pakistani players and the PCB, I would have had by now amassed enough money to purchase Shahrukh Khan like stardom for Meera in Bollywood. Inevitably, every time a Pakistani series comes along, both of these clowns surface from the depths of their personal failures as cricketers and cricket administrators to enlighten us with their asinine drivel on “how it should be done”.

Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing against criticism. My writing so far as proof, I am in fact as Pakistani as any when it comes to thinking I have all the answers. Moreover, I firmly believe that the foundations of progression exist firmly within the boundaries of debate and dialogue, out of which emerge consensus and reason. One man, multiple opinions, one vote! But if a simple notion as majority rules comes in the way of shutting up these two then to hell with fairness – it’s over rated.

What both fail to realise is that the true purpose of voicing criticism is at worst to play devils advocate. However, the action itself is motivated by good intentions and to ultimately achieve the best possible result through debate and voice. In the case of these two moronic tweeter brains, the intent is only self-promotion. Their criticism is never constructive and in direct contradiction to their individual performances as national cricketers and PCB administrators.

As players, both averaged fewer than 32 runs in ODIs with a strike rate of 65, hardly numbers to brag about in an era of the game. Rameez scoring a century in ODIs was tantamount to Pakistan losing a match, and still he played almost 200 of them. Sohail scored more than 50 runs 36 times in 156 tries! Thank God for his utility to give the team a few overs of very little spin which once in while got a couple of cheap wickets. Their record in tests is no better with Rameez averaging worse and Sohail not achieving 35. The latter also played a role as whistle blower to match fixing in Pakistan in the twilight of his career which for me is too convenient of a time to grow a conscience.

Even so, they have been handsomely rewarded by Pakistan’s dubious administrative selection policy with various high profile posts including Chairman PCB and Director National Cricketing Academy. Rameez shrewdly leveraged the role of PCB head honcho to further his own media career, which in turn has over the years become ever more difficult to stomach.

Where then do these two get the audacity to question the skill of Pakistani cricketers with such confidence? I can understand that Sohail’s brain got out of whack after being flicked off the field by Venkatesh Prasad in the 1996 World Cup Quarter Final. But what could be Rameez’s excuse? Possibly his gigantic afro blocking the blood flow to his cerebral cortex?

To say that Rameez built a career off the back of his older brother’s brilliance while Sohail used the genius of his opening partner Saeed Anwar to shield his own mediocrity might seem harsh to many but to me is not too far off the truth. To that effect, both need to be smacked off their proverbial high horse and given a dose of reality check.

Cricket fans all across the world have plenty to say about the state of cricket in Pakistan, but their opinions and criticisms are soaked with hope and desire to see the team succeed. Sadly, I can not say the same for Rameez and Sohail. Both had their time and chances to make a real difference for Pakistan cricket and they failed miserably. It is time for them to realise that if they want to make a productive contribution to cricket then they need to do so with more tact and taste.

Almost to script, at the first sign of trouble in the ongoing Champions Trophy, both were quoted with disparaging comments on the “senior batsmen” of the team. The response from the recipients of this unwarranted attach was swift and to the point; 215 runs between Malik and Yousaf, supported by excellent bowling from Afridi and captaincy from Younis to set up a monumental victory over India. To Rameez and Sohail however, the victory was read quite simply as “screw you and have a nice day”!

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~ by writeofleft on September 27, 2009.