Dr Nasim Ashraf took over as Chairman PCB in October 2006 after the Oval ball tampering fiasco that led to Shaharyar Khan’s exit. At that time Pakistan team was teeming with stars like Inzamam, Younis Khan, Muhammad Yousuf, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar, yet the team was struggling with its output as a combined unit, especially on away tours.

Dr Nasim Ashraf, a thorough gentleman, was an expert of the development sector. He was exceptional at crisis management and brilliant at international lobbying. He possessed astute managerial skills and had a passion for sports in general and cricket in particular. I had witnessed his skills and unmatched stamina to work relentlessly very closely at the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD).

President Pervez Musharraf, the Patron in Chief, took little time in realising the fact that there could be no better choice than Dr Nasim to manage the cricket chaos at that critical time.

The immediate challenges included restructuring of domestic cricket, remodeling of the constitution, reinstatement of Younis Khan as team captain, resolving the conflicts between team players, lifting of the ban imposed by ICC on Shahid Afridi, and finding solutions for doping cases of Shoaib Akhtar and Muhammad Asif who were very much needed in the One Day World Cup squad to be held in West Indies.

The Chairman had a good eye for human resource, yet PCB is a tricky place, where one can be soon surrounded with many loud mouths to fill one’s ears. This happens with every chairman and Dr Nasim was no exception.

During that period, I was performing my duties as Senior General Manager in the National Commission for Human Development in Islamabad and the Chairman had seen my output in those challenging environments. Moreover, he was aware of my passion and background in sports. I was thus summoned at PCB headquarters to take over additional responsibilities as PSO to the Chairman and Media Advisor.

The challenges were insurmountable, and there was no dearth of advisors around the chairman. Within no time the 2007 ODI World Cup was looming on our heads.

The team was training in Lahore under the hawkish eyes of Bob Woolmer. I used to witness the training sessions held at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore, but I never had an easy feeling about the team fitness, the gelling of players and its preparation as a champion unit before the start of the World Cup.

The national team visited South Africa for a bilateral ODI series as part of World Cup preparations. Apart from Muhammad Yousaf’s prolific batting and occasional brilliance of Younis Khan, most of the top order including Inzamam ul Haq, Muhammad Hafeez, Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Malik and Imran Nazir were struggling with form and fitness.

Pakistan won only one match whereas South Africa won three with convincing margins.

There was very little time with the management and the coach to address the issues at this stage. The most worried man at this time was the team coach Bob Woolmer.

Pakistan team took a sigh of relief when they found themselves in group “D” of the World Cup along with West Indies, Zimbabwe and ICC associate member Ireland.

The team management was confident that we would reach the Super 8 stage even without the services of two new ball bowlers and all-rounder Shahid Afridi who had to miss the first two matches due to the ban, by easily eliminating Zimbabwe and Ireland. But it all proved wrong. Pakistan lost matches against the West Indies and Ireland. The worst blow came when the team coach Bob Woolmer was found dead in his hotel room under suspicious conditions.

The team had an early exit from the World Cup. The “Boys” reached home dejected and broken. There were many question marks on each and every area of team performance and management. The team needed a complete rebuilding before the start of 2007 ICC World T20 to be held in South Africa.

Brainstorming sessions were held in Gaddafi Stadium. Many proposals were considered to put the leash to the situation to avoid further embarrassments. Change of team leadership and induction of fresh legs in the team was considered, but I was totally focused on the process of a missing block — team building.

I had noticed the fragmentation in the team. I knew that the team needed serious introspection and team building process, which was not possible in the hustle and bustle of Lahore where the players remain preoccupied with many “extra-curricular” activities. One fine day I walked into the Chairman office and discussed with him the idea of detaching the players from Lahore.

The Chairman was in receptive mode. I suggested that the players should be taken away from Lahore to Abbottabad for physical training and team building. He told me to visit Abbottabad.

I stayed in Abbottabad for a couple of days and submitted a detailed written report to the Chairman regarding the available facilities and training opportunities.

The chairman approached the military authorities for necessary facilitation for holding the first ever training camp for Pakistan team in Physical Training and Mountain Warfare School Kakul.

Pakistani players of that era still cherish their first ever camp in Kakul, and have fond memories of that camp.

Today I am pleased to see that the sapling has grown into a full blown tree, and physical training at Kakul has now become an integral part of Pakistan team training.

By the time you read these lines, the ongoing training camp for the year 2024 will have concluded in Kakul, and the players for the series against New Zealand will have been announced.

I am sure that the players will have greatly benefited from the camp and will emerge as a physically well trained and gelled unit for their upcoming international assignments including the World Cup.

I am always of the strong opinion that cricketing facilities in Abbottabad must be upgraded, and PCB should consider converting Abbottabad into a permanent training centre and a Test venue for the future.

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