After long negotiations and rumours in the press, it is finally conclusive; the former Pakistani wicket keeper will continue his cooperation with the ACB. According to the ACB negotiations regarded Latif’s salary and perks though a majority among the national cricket fans airs a suspicion that Latif’s earlier claims of resignation weren’t of economic interests but a result born from the troubles surrounding his friend and Afghan coaching legend Kabir Khan.
Kabir Khan after the news wrote on Facebook "This is a good decision by ACB as well Rashid Latif" he added "It proves that Rashid never left because of me. He is a good friend but also a very professional person."
Kabir Khan has been the head coach during the uprising of Afghan cricket and among his many mentionable performances was the qualification for the T20 World Cup.
One issue that might question Latif’s credibility stands; how come he resigned once and then re-signed afterwards. Is this a sign of the ACB having met the economic demands of Rashid Latif? Is it possible that he resigned to honour a friendship but now has been compensated with extra funds?
These questions will undoubtedly plague some minds in the public. On the professional plan these news are good news, it brings a little stability to the establishment that the ACB tries to maintain the interests of the team. Some names were mentioned as replacements for Latif but those names were associated with great teams though their own rankings were lower than Latif’s. Although Latif’s numbers weren’t exuberating it must be brought into consideration that he was a leading figure in the Pakistani national fixture for many years.
The ACB has denied that any extra compensations have been made for Latif and states that he is back on his original terms of signing. All thought aside; this is good news. The team is going to face some tough matches this year and more resignations wasn’t needed or wanted. Especially the Asian Games are interesting since they are a medal event and could further promote Afghan cricket to the world audience.
We hope for the best for the team and at the same time we plea the ACB to maintain a certain level of professionalism and to avoid these sudden whirlwinds of trouble that seems to surround them. Kabir Khan was a big loss for us but now we will have to look ahead in excitement and hope that our players haven’t been too affected by the latest board related problems. Latif welcome back!
