On the eve of the qualifying rounds of the domestic Twenty20 tournament, KCCA president Prof Ijaz Farooqui did the decent thing and resigned though he should have done that the moment his committee objected to his signing on the policy which stated that one of the Karachi teams would have to qualify for the main round of the tournament.

So would one of the two from Lahore but the pressure built up in the port city was more than in the Punjab capital.

Indeed Farooqui had no moral ground to hold on to his post after his colleagues had objected to what they heard from him when he landed in Karachi. But instead of resigning he demanded that PCB allow two teams from Karachi in the main round. It was ridiculous. How could he protest when he had nodded in agreement in the meeting at the Gaddafi Stadium when everyone was asked if they had any objection to this new deal?

Farooqui admitted that he had signed, but he had changed his mind. That was further stupidity and showed just how carelessly and with how much aloofness the associations are run. At least the sports heads of departments immediately voiced their concern when they heard that some of the departments would have to play the qualifying rounds for the first class tournament, the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

But when it came to KCCA’s head he protested on a charter which he himself had endorsed only a few days back!

It was clear his position had become untenable and fellow members were clearly unhappy with what he had done, especially since they were all answerable to the zone players they represented and those cricketers who felt that they may not get to show their wares in the only tournament that can catapult them in the eyes of the selectors.

The good news nevertheless is that the PCB, which took over the selection of the Karachi sides when KCCA refused to do its job, picked a strong outfit. I was a bit disappointed when Shahid Afridi refused to return to play the qualifying rounds, preferring to play the T20 tournament taking place in England.

He said presumptuously that he would play the direct round, assuming that his team would reach there. He probably won’t be disappointed as even without him the side under Sarfraz Ahmed has a great chance to finish in the top two and make their way to the main round.

I wrote last week that it would be interesting to see how the fans react to the presence of Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif when they first appear on a cricket ground after a gap of five years. That will not happen after all as the PCB made it clear that the two would have to wait for six months before they could be considered for the first tier of the domestic tournaments.

But Amir will be there as he turns out for Pindi. Though he has already appeared in front of his fellow countrymen, this will be the first time he will do so in a major tournament.

Amir recently was on a public relations drive and giving blood to a blood bank and taking selfies with children in a hospital.

He is a strong-minded young man, it seems, and is ready to face the backlash of some former cricketers, Ramiz Raja and Rashid Latif among them.

Amir has been quick to point out that men like Mike Atherton, a former England captain, were in support of him playing again.

It’s clear he is being professionally advised and has been briefed ahead of time on frequently asked questions, for he answered with remarkable composure for someone so young. He had nothing bad to say to those players who have opposed his potential re-selection for the Pakistan side.

Retaliatory words are something you would expect from a punished, frustrated and guilty soul. What he said could have been expected from the mouth of a honed diplomat (He stated that everyone has the right to voice their opinions and he hoped they would change their mind).

Most importantly, he said that every individual has the right to see things from their perspective. Quite philosophical, isn’t it?

And I expect him to do well, even though if Tanveer Ahmed, one of those bowlers who replaced him and Asif in the team, is to be believed it won’t be that easy for Amir to break into the Pakistan team.

He says he knows of three or four current Pakistani players who are totally opposed to playing alongside any one of the three. There may be some exaggeration but then it is likely to be true to some extent. Shahid Afridi is said to be annoyed at the prospect and he is the captain till the World Twenty20 which the PCB is secretly targeting for Amir’s comeback.

Afridi as we all know is stubborn as a bull when it comes to something that he is already committed to. And if push comes to shove Afridi is capable of sitting out the global tournament in protest.

But times change and so do people. Some clue would come if the two face off somewhere in a domestic game.