Srinagar: It has been the issue plaguing J&K Cricket for long and has been termed as one of the main reasons for J&K not been able to produce enough talented cricketers who can go on to perform at the top level.
We are talking about the lack of quality turf wickets in J&K with both the custodians of J&K Cricket – J&K Cricket Association (JKCA) as well other related sports departments like YSS, Sports Council, Colleges, Universities failing to develop the necessary basic infrastructure for the quality cricket.
Over the years, JKCA has been able to develop only a couple of turf wickets that are maintained properly while as others have completely failed in this area.
Top cricketers of J&K including star cricketer and J&K cricket team skipper Parvez Rasool have been pretty vocal about this issue. Parvez has been repeatedly saying that youngsters should resist from playing on matting wickets as it never tests their ability to the fullest and makes them vulnerable when they go on to play on turf wickets.
He has been saying it regularly and has also been blaming past JKCA regimes for the lack of enough turf strips in J&K.
However, putting question on his own comments and commitment, Parvez Rasool recently himself played on matting wicket during the final of a big-money cricket tournament in north Kashmir. In the final, he played for his home side Bijbehara. In fact it was not the first time that Parvez Rasool played on matting wicket, but he has been regular feature of the event over the years.
During the event, Parvez Rasool once again raised the issue of lack of turf wickets and said that he himself also resists playing on matting wicket and it is only that event where he has been coming regularly.
He once again advised youngsters not to play on the matting wickets but at the same time praised the organisers of the event for maintaining ground well and holding such a big event. He said it is because of the ground and being organised well that he has been playing on regular basis in the event.
This very statement by Parvez Rasool puts two basic questions on Parvez himself. One, while he should be a role model for youngsters and shouldn’t be playing in such events himself. By playing in such events he is setting a wrong example for the youth who look at him as role model and follow him.
Other question is that being regular feature in the event, he has failed to convince and motivate the organizers to develop a turf wicket for the event over the years. It is either he is bad motivator or he doesn’t care in reality. He has been full of praise for the organisers who have over the years failed to develop turf wicket despite having huge money at their disposal for this event. In the final, the prize money was 2.25 lakhs for winning side, which Parvez’s side won while as there were other big money prizes as well.
This big money event has been a bad influencer and example for the youth as the money involved has not been utilised for which it could have been spent. Parvez by praising them is only encouraging them to continue such practice in future as well.
Instead of praising them Parvez should look at the examples of Eidgah, Malabagh, Nishat, etc, where local organisers despite not having big money at their disposal developed turf wickets. Even he can give example of his own home town Bijbehara, where he has been himself at the helm to develop quality turf wickets.
Youth look at Parvez Rasool as example and by praising such organisers who lack vision and will to develop the game at its basics, Parvez is not helping the game in any way . Also by repeatedly putting all blame on past JKCA regimes, he is trying to hide the shortfalls of Adminstrators and CEO-led current JKCA regime.
They have failed to add even a single brick to the infrastructure of JK Cricket during its almost three years of rule now.