Should the PCB ban Afridi?

[Maranello]

I still have not seen the incident, but have spoken to numerous other Pakistani fans, who are all disgusted at Afridi's apparently deliberate vandalism. I doubt all those who watched the incident are wrong in their assessment of it, and so I agree that the action by Afridi was brainless, pointless, and shameful. Now we know why he bats the way he does and does not seem to learn from his mistakes - maybe because he really does not know any better

Now the question is: should the PCB ban Afridi for this, even before the ICC takes any action, as I believe it will? That will ensure that Pakistan keep the moral high ground, which we had till this moment, and which we have now completely lost. Also, this will demonstrate that there is no room for such antics in the Pakistani team, regardless of the provocation or any other perceived gamesmanship. Almost all teams try to rile the opposition by minor acts of gamesmanship, or try to get some advantage on the field - even if Afridi felt England were doing that, to respond by breaking the Laws so blatantly is not acceptable.

I am afraid sections of the English media, never fans of Pakistanis or the Pakistan cricket team, will have a field day with this. If they could moan so loudly and so boorishly when there was no cause for complaint (1987, 1992, 1996 etc), I shudder to imagine how they will react when finally there does seem to be a genuine contravention of the Laws by a Pakistani cricketer!

[greg]

In 92 Aqib Javed was caught tampering with the ball by BBC cameras but that is gone and is irrelevant,this for me is far worse.
It would be nice if the Pakistan board were to take action but they may have already been instructed by ICC to leave it to them.It will be interesting to see how long it takes for any hearings to take place by either the PCB or ICC.I would imagine that nothing will happen till the game has finished but a statement should be made tonight by one or the other just to draw a line under it for now so the game can carry on without any more incidents.

[flanflinger]

Originally Posted by Maranello

I still have not seen the incident, but have spoken to numerous other Pakistani fans, who are all disgusted at Afridi's apparently deliberate vandalism. I doubt all those who watched the incident are wrong in their assessment of it, and so I agree that the action by Afridi was brainless, pointless, and shameful. Now we know why he bats the way he does and does not seem to learn from his mistakes - maybe because he really does not know any better

Marnello - my view entirely.. Afridi is a brillant Cricketer, an entertainer of the Heighest order. Why does he have to ruin this!!

It was totally unnessary!!

I do hope the English media do not over-react. But I do feel that Afridi may end up missing the third Test and he will only have himself to blame!!

[Maranello]

The PCB is Afridi's employer, it can surely choose when to employ (ie select) him. Afridi seems to have let himself, his team and all his fans down by this, and a clear message needs to be sent out that this will not be tolerated.

[Irish Left Armer]

Honestly I thought the series was going fine until this. The other incidents, Butt's runout, Bell's catch and Inzi's runout. I didn't really think there was any cheating or gamesmanship involved there. Just some poor umpiring.

But having seen this incident I think Afridi is in big trouble. It's blatant and caught on camera. Could turn the series very sour too.

Just saw an interview with Inzamam, what a classy guy. Really kept himself in check despite getting a howler of a decision today.

As for Afridi, I think it should just be left to the relevant authorities.

[greg]

What i was thinking though was if PCB banned him for say 6 weeks and then the ICC turn round and want to ban him for 6 months it could end up like Ganguly,going through court processes that are not needed trying to overturn it with the defence being that he is being punished twice for the same thing.

[Occasional Fan]

I doubt the ICC will instruct one of its full member boards not to act as it sees fit in running its internal affairs. Who knows if there will be an ICC hearing? The reports suggest that there will have to be one - Cricinfo says it is a certainty - and I think there is precedent for hauling alleged offenders before the referee at the end of the day of the alleged offence rather than at the end of the match. But what can the PCB reasonably do here, even if they have their own hearing and find that Afridi has offended? You speak of a ban, Maranello, but if they were to ban him now, would they remove him from the game and play on with ten men? I doubt it, somehow. I doubt also that the ICC would apply such a sanction during the match - and I would be reluctant to see it, as it would potentially ruin the game. I think there are some serious difficulties for either the PCB or the ICC if they act now. On balance, I would let the game finish and then follow the usual post match procedures. That may seem to take the initiative away from the PCB, but I think they can maintain their own respectability as long as they support the ICC's actions.

[Occasional Fan]

There is also a potential element of confusion which could creep in if the PCB acts before the ICC. For example, the PCB could decide to ban Afridi for a period - but as Maranello makes clear, that is not really any different to simply failing to select him. If the ICC then issues its own ban for a similar or shorter period than the PCB chooses, then persons other than the PCB could argue that this is in effect a non-punishment - since he would be banned by the ICC for a period in which he was not going to be selected anyway. Actually, the more I think about it, the more I think this has to be left to the ICC in the first instance.

[greg]

You can't ban him from the rest of the match,that would be as ludicrous as Afridi's actions.

I hope this game is a draw now so neither side can moan about any incident that has gone on and we go ahead to the final match with England fired up to level the series.

[Rachael]

If the PCB is to act on this... maybe they could offer Shahid Afridi the job of pitch preparation: he clearly understands what a Test wicket needs far more clearly than the groundsman who produced this turgid strip... and any scuffing done prior to the start of the Test would have been perfectly legal :-)

On a more serious note: is this the deadest excuse of a pitch that has ever been seen in world cricket? It seems singularly reminiscent of the one on which Lara broke the world record: Harmison bouncers seem to be coming through at a nice pace for smacking out of the ground... not even Flintoff can get deviation off the seam... there's been no bounce or turn for Giles and Udal... and all in all, it's sucked.

From the pitch reports on how it's wearing... this particular baked mud strip also seems to be wearing as if bound together with araldite: no change from the start of play and no prospect of any, either. If so.. I doubt anything ANYONE does is really going to have much effect!