LAHORE: The death of a prominent first class cricketer, Aamir Bashir due to cancer on Tuesday led to a call from former Pakistan captains and players for the establishment of a players’ association in the country. Former captains Ramiz Raja and Rashid Latif were joined by former leg-spinner Abdul Qadir in demanding that the Pakistan Cricket Board allow establishment of a players’ association. “I think the way and the conditions in which Aamir Bashir passed away is sad and there are many other players facing similar financial problems. The formation of the players association will mean they can work for the welfare of players from one common platform,” Ramiz said.
He made it clear that forming a players’ association did not mean the players wanted to confront the authority of the Cricket Board. “It should not be viewed that way. We need to have a proper association which can work for the welfare of players and also educate them on how to handle things and behave while playing for Pakistan,” Ramiz was quoted as saying. He said a players’ association can play a vital role in bridging any communication gap between the players and the board.
Bashir, who played for the Pakistan Under-19 and ‘A’ teams, was afflicted by bone cancer for the last few years at a relatively young age and lost his battle with the dreaded disease on Monday. Although the PCB provided him half-a-million rupees and some Pakistan cricketers also helped raise funds for his medical expenses, but in the end his luck ran out. “When you are fighting with a terminal illness, financial issues play a big role in worsening the disease,” Rashid Latif, who had campaigned to raise funds for Bashir, said.
Rashid noted that in the past whenever efforts were made to form a players’ association the board did not give permission. Qadir said when he was chief selector he had tried to launch the association but had faced problems. “Even if the board does not give us permission, we can easily go to court and get permission because I think it is the right of cricketers to have a representative body and is long overdue,” Qadir said.
