I grew up and spent two-thirds of my life in Karachi, a vast city of 20 million people and believed to be 4th largest in the world.

Karachi has been known for producing many of Pakistan's finest batsmen like Javed Miandad, Hanif Mohammad, Mushtaq Mohammad, Sadiq Mohammad, Zaheer Abbas, Asif Iqbal, Saeed Anwar, Mohsin Khan and so many others with excellent records. Besides fine batsmen our best wicketkeepers, Wasim Bari, Rashid Latif, Moin Khan and Saleem Yousuf were all products of this nursery.

Last month on vacation from USA I was quite disappointed to see that on my, almost mile-long street, there were hardly any kids holding a bat and ball and playing cricket. At one time there were eight to ten different teams in action not only during the daylight hours but on weekends there was plenty of night action with hastily installed lights extended from kids' homes. I was doubly disappointed this time compared to a previous holiday a few years ago because I was unable to grab a bat from the kids and get some batting practice. I fondly remember the days when we all used to play cricket with a taped-up tennis ball on busy streets on one side with bowlers named 'Wasim' or 'Imran' in action and the other full of busy traffic. And guess who suffered the most - the motorists.

Ten or so years ago Karachi's playgrounds presented a busy and beautiful view for cricket lovers. The grounds needed advance booking because there were so many cricket teams in the area wanting to play but now you see few in use as most have become parks or had apartment blocks constructed on top.

So what's happened and where are those kids who used to play day and night and even crowded grounds on a weekend? Let's look a little deeper.

To focus on better education many parents now discourage playing cricket and when kids come home from school they face a parade of extra tutors. By the time this ends it is already evening and time for homework! During my childhood this 'tuition culture' hardly existed but on this visit I noticed so much pressure on children to do well at school that it must make them want to revolt.

In the past, education was mostly provided by public schools which even had government subsidies provided for sports activities rather than the current preference for private schools. Schools then had cricket teams and there were many inter-school tournaments every season. Besides, we also played cricket for about an hour after the end of school (I wonder if my parents thought school ended that late). Sadly, that's all past as there is now an, "I send my child to a private school," syndrome all over the country. Most of these private schools, ostensibly providing better quality education than public schools, are housed in houses with no playgrounds. The days of inter-school cricket are gone and you can also forget about after-school cricket too.

Yes, there are some private cricket academies run by former cricketers around, but admission for a kid is not all that easy due to limited places and monetary difficulties as naturally, they are being run as a business.

Years ago, some of my friends who didn't do well in higher education, decided to pursue adult cricket careers and found places in some corporation, bank or other departmental teams and the better ones even found spots in the national team. But, corporate or departmental cricket is almost extinct now so there is little opportunity for young cricketers to earn a livelihood through the game they love which in turn forces budding talent to pursue other fields.

Pakistan's big cities like Karachi have moved on to modern life in the fast lane and gone are the days when there was only one breadwinner in a family and other members did not need to work. The younger ones could spend most of their time outside, playing cricket, but now they have to work and lend a hand in household economics. For several decades there were five or six top players in the team from Karachi and six or seven from Lahore with almost none from rural areas. The Karachi players, having grown up in a tougher environment, brought 'mental toughness' and a 'street-smart mentality' - players like Miandad, Asif Iqbal, Moin may have been limited in style or classical technique but had a 'never-say-die' attitude. On the other hand, players from Punjab were known to bring more aggression, fast bowling skills, elegance and style to the game. These were the perfect ingredients for making the winning mix and balance in the team.

Karachi players were also known to be better runners between the wicket - Miandad, Asif Iqbal, Moin Khan, Basit Ali were phenomenal in running and experts in taking cheeky singles and able to rotate the strike to put more pressure on the fielding side. Today this important and basic element is missing and we have players who rely on boundaries and eventually have to throw their wicket away when a squeeze is applied.

Today, the team dynamics have changed, and as an example, there is only one player representing Karachi and most are from rural areas or small towns. This is certainly good in a way, as its shows cricket has spread, but do these players have the tough mentality, the basic 'smarts', the confidence and leadership qualities needed? I feel this more than explains our current lack in these critical departments of modern cricket.

Apart from these regional and other factors, one more is the lack of sufficient educational background among current players. There was a time when Pakistan cricket was known because of Fazal Mahmood, AH Kardar, the Mohammad family, the Burki family (Javed Burki, Imran Khan and Majid Khan), Asif Iqbal, Zaheer Abbas, the Raja family, Saeed Anwar and many more with a college or university education. But now we have few players with anywhere near a similar educational background.

There is no hiding the fact that education plays a fundamental role in every-day life as it not only provides a person with information about a particular field but helps in logical thinking and ability to reason-out a problem. Over the last decade or more, this attribute has gone missing from Pakistan cricket camps. I am not worried about public speaking or giving interviews in English in front of a TV camera but am talking of what is far more critical and important for success. This is the ability to communicate in any language and having the flexibility of mind to change, adjust, accept, improve and compromise.

A somewhat beleaguered Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is now spending lots of money on developing cricket academies, inviting foreign coaches and famous players for lectures and training - all laudable and positive steps in moving forward. However, I think an integral part is still missing - quickly developing the game at the grassroots level - lest it's too late.

Cricket academies are 'Level-II' steps and cannot impact the first level. On-ground reality shows us is there is hardly any school or university cricket being played, little or no focus on inter-school or university tournaments, and even street cricket is dying-out. No doubt cricket academies are necessary for final grooming and honing of selected players but do not help develop cricket in the whole country or provide a 'blood-bank' of talent.

Our people are still faithful to the game and many still crazy about it but priorities have changed, for they no longer encourage their children to play knowing the odds of becoming a Test cricketer are slim. They rationalise, if their children go to good schools and focus on education, they will do well in future life. If we examine the malaise of poor Test match attendance in Pakistan, the answer stares us in the face - lack of public interest. Yes, Pakistani people love to watch one-day games but are they just seeking a few quick thrills and short-term entertainment or does it signify an intrinsic love for the game I grew up playing?

There is some light on the horizon though, according to very recent reports that mention the PCB's recent statements, on a focus to improve the game in schools, colleges, universities and at grassroots level.

I hope when I visit again in a few years, cricket is back on the streets and in schools - perhaps I'll be able to pick up a bat again and hit a few runs on my street.

(Article: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author only.
Copyright © 2004 sic5770@yahoo.com)