Mushtaq Ahmed: a talent part fulfilled but somehow unfulfilling © Getty Images

Mushtaq Ahmed will have bid a sad farewell to county cricket. It was an arena that saw him achieve great personal and team success at a time when his international career had run into the sand. Indeed, county cricket rescued his career when the Pakistan Cricket Board had churned him up and abandoned him.

There were, of course, brief flirtations with an international recall and an attempt by Bob Woolmer and Inzamam-ul Haq to create a role for Mushtaq as assistant coach of Pakistan, but his career summary would fit any number of Pakistan players of his era: a talent part fulfilled but somehow unfulfilling.

Over the last two decades, Mushtaq transformed much as a person. In the beginning we saw a young, boisterous, mischievous cricketer, carefree in spirit and behaviour. Some of those elements remain but he is now a deeply religious man, caring as much for the afterlife as for the here and now.

Mushtaq’s place in international cricket owes much to Imran Khan’s passion for attacking bowlers, particularly legspinners, in one-day cricket. Abdul Qadir was a major role model, and Mushtaq looked to be taking over from where Qadir left off. The range of deliveries—especially googlies—has always been impressive even though he has suffered from a lack of natural drift and a lower delivery arm.

The 1992 World Cup introduced Mushtaq to the world, and the image of him growing in stature during the landmark tournament for Pakistan cricket and joyously celebrating each wicket is an iconic one for Pakistan fans.

His Test career developed rapidly too, with early suggestions that he might even be able to rival Shane Warne. But those ambitions never matured although Mushtaq did become an influential foil for Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. Much of the 1990s was taken up with Mushtaq twirling away from one end, while the Two Ws alternated from the other. Pakistan had a formula that threatened world domination but never achieved it.

Ironically, it was the rise of one-day cricket that put the heat on Mushtaq’s international career. Pakistan took a liking to Shahid Afridi’s all-round potential but more importantly Saqlain Mushtaq’s devastating one-day form saw him displace Mushtaq as Pakistan’s premier spinner—and the Test formula, as it was, only allowed scope for one twirler.

The match-fixing controversy of the 1990s also damaged Mushtaq and later became a reason for him to lose his job as assistant coach. Some said his religious bent was inspired by a desire for redemption but the same has been said about numerous Pakistan players of Mushtaq’s era, and this adoption of piety has been a general phenomenon unconfined to cricketers.

County cricket, however, rejuvenated Mushtaq. Here he was a match-winner, a destroyer, while he had become almost impotent on the international stage. When he joined Sussex, the right man had joined the right county at the right time. Mushtaq’s achievements in county cricket have become legend, a testament to his dedication to cricket and his love of bowling. But they also highlight the gulf between England’s domestic game and the international arena.

In the final reckoning of Pakistan leg spin bowlers, Mushtaq stands behind Qadir but above Danish Kaneria. He does, however, leave behind unparalleled memories for fans of his country and fans of his county—and there can be no bigger compliment.

A furrowed brow, a bouncing angular run that ends in a fast twirling arm, a plea to the powers that be on heaven and earth, and an ecstatic, grinning, racing celebration with arms outstretched. This same routine brought about World Cup glory and county cricket supremacy. It could have been more but who would argue that it wasn’t enough for an unworldly boy from Sahiwal?

	The cricket boards of Australia, England, and New Zealand have always painted Pakistan and Pakistani cricket in the worst possible light © AFP

Let's be clear: the chances of the next edition of the Champions Trophy taking place in Pakistan are next to nothing. The political compromise crafted in words by the ICC is a cover for the international blockade of Pakistan as a venue by cricket's traditional powers. The rift in international cricket, between old and new, is alive and well. India's economic might protects it from any possible backlash from the ancient powers of Australia and England, but Pakistan is a softer, easier target.

Indeed, the rise of money in international cricket means that cricketers and cricket boards can turn their noses up at an inconvenient tour of Pakistan, knowing that it will little damage their careers or their bank accounts. The campaign against touring Pakistan has been a cynical and hysterical drama based on spook stories and vivid imaginations.

Playing international cricket in Pakistan remains safe, just as it was a month ago when the Asia Cup was played there, and just as it was last year when South Africa toured. What remains unsafe, however, is the pretext upon which cricket boards have chosen to marginalise Pakistan. Cricket boards should have sent players willing to tour Pakistan and take the chance of furthering their careers.

The behaviour of the cricket boards of Australia, England, and New Zealand is no surprise. All three have always painted Pakistan and Pakistani cricket in the worst possible light, an attitude that has stemmed from their fundamental misunderstanding and suspicion of a culture that they little understand. A bomb in Karachi, by their bizarre calculus, is far more threatening to international cricketers than a bomb in Mumbai or London.

If their tunnel vision is unsurprising, then the response of the cricket boards of South Africa and West Indies is a bitter disappointment. In matters of personal safety, both countries are ill placed to preach to others. On the contrary, West Indian cricket has a long tradition of solidarity with the Asian cricket boards. Meanwhile, South Africa has a pivotal position in drawing together rich and poor worlds, a leadership role that it has failed in over Zimbabwe and now Pakistan.

But this lowest point in the history of Pakistan cricket is not entirely the responsibility of cricket's old and confused powers. The Pakistan Cricket Board has to accept equal share of the blame. Pakistan's cricket team is nowhere in international rankings, an unattractive side to host or visit. The board's unprofessional approach to managing players and processes gives the impression of a cricket structure in chaos.

The greatest failing, however, is Pakistan's unattractiveness as a venue for cricket--and here I don't mean the availability of alcohol, bacon butties, or nightclubs. The experience of playing cricket in Pakistan has to become an exciting one, with matches played on sporting tracks with lush outfields in front of packed crowds. International sport has moved a long way from being simply a sport, as the Olympics have reaffirmed. Top international sport now has to be a memorable experience for players and spectators to be viable. Cricket in Pakistan is a hard slog for all involved.

These failings of Pakistan cricket should not have been enough for the Champions Trophy to be postponed, but they are subjective impressions of a country and its cricket that inevitably will have influenced individual cricketers and made them reluctant to tour.

Pakistan cricket must rebuild from this lowest point. Yes, it is hard for sport to thrive in a struggling society but a formula must be found to rejuvenate Pakistan cricket and elevate it to the standards now expected of international sport. This responsibility for rejuvenation lies with Pakistan's new political leaders and they should understand the power of sport to unite peoples and provinces.

At the same time, the ICC must immediately address the issue of the future of international cricket in Pakistan. A major cricketing country is being isolated by irrational decision making. The PCB's call for clarity around the security measures required is a step in the right direction but it is only a small step. The concerned cricket boards must now commit to a structured return to Pakistan, which might begin with A team tours and short series to rebuild confidence and eliminate suspicion.

Above all, the current crisis reminds us that an international sport that relies on a small number of competing nations at the highest level is a sport that will always be at the mercy of powerful groups or even individuals.

International cricket is at a troubling stage in its evolution and its current leaders seem to favour shows of compromise over making tough decisions. The tough--but right--decision would have been for all boards to have agreed to the Champions Trophy taking place in Pakistan as scheduled. This is a precedent that international cricket may wish it had never set. It is certainly a decision that dumps Pakistan cricket at the lowest point in its cricket history.

	Ashraf's whimsical tenure is the worst period in Pakistan's modern history © AFP

You may find this hard to believe but Dr Ashraf has divided opinion in Pakistan. His numerous critics have encountered a plentiful supply of advocates. The central argument of the advocates of Ashraf is that he talks much sense. Nurtured in medical and human development environments, Ashraf has a soothing tone that pulls together jargon and management rhetoric to create an aura of competence.

Yet talking a good strategy is only one element of the role of the head of an organisation. The ultimate benchmark is the quality of decision making, and this is where Ashraf's record is lamentable.

Although Ashraf and his colleagues may blame their predecessors for destroying the foundations of Pakistan cricket, the rapid decline of the past two years is at complete odds with Ashraf's rhetoric. We have seen a downturn in results, administration, and spectacle. The worst sin has been that the excitement that fans traditionally associate with Pakistan cricket has almost disappeared.

Readers of this blog will be familiar with criticisms of Ashraf and his PCB. They ripple through every aspect of the administration of Pakistan cricket, and draw me to the conclusion that Ashraf's whimsical tenure is the worst period in Pakistan's modern history.

When selecting candidates for the hall of shame, Tauqir Zia's rule would rival Ashraf's but the General's fortune was that he caught the tail end of the careers of some of Pakistan's greatest cricketers and the beginning of a new era of some optimism.

It is hard to find that optimism now. Pakistan's captain is weak and troubled. The bowling resources are ravaged by drugs and scandal. The batsmen are incomplete and unreliable. The coach is unproved and under pressure. The administration is divided and unpopular. Even the future of cricket in Pakistan seems to hang in the balance on a daily basis.

Yet out of this mess Pakistan fans will find hope, as they always do. The greatest hope will be that the new chairman of the board will have the capabilities to resurrect the team's performance and the stature of his country on the international stage.

Dr Nasim Ashraf came, saw, and floundered. How long will it take to conquer?