Younus Khan: "Why do we create all the time controversies? Why? It's a fair game, you know. You're talking about the doosra, 'Why he bowl doosra?' (Thanks, Nick.)
Well, you are less likely to create controversies if you don't try to hide that you have previously investigated your own bowlers for chucking.
And also that you have bought a lab-load of biomechanical equipment, but you are too embarrassed to admit you might have wasted a million dollars because you don't know how to drive it:
Ajmal has been through rehab before
Aussie prompting or not, it is quite clear that there were doubts about Ajmal's action well before the ongoing series and he had been put through rehabilitation programme in Pakistan's National Cricket Academy at Lahore in late 2007.
When one called Mudassar Nazar, previously head of Pakistan's development programme and now head coach of the Dubai-based ICC's Global Cricket Academy (this clearly being a case of our loss being the ICC's gain) to inquire about what remedial action was taken in the NCA to bring bend in Ajmal's arm at the time of delivery within the permissible limits, he refused to divulge the details.
But a few calls back home to some NCA sources - all of whom chose discretion over valour and refused to be named - it was learnt that though Ajmal had gone through a rehabilitation phase, the incident was kept under wraps and everything was done 'unofficially'.
The same sources also informed that after the NCA spell, Ajmal's action was in conformity with the ICC's regulations.
Mudassar's input on this point though was invaluable. "Players, all players, need to be constantly monitored for even after the correction phase, anomalies may creep in.
That was why when I was at the NCA, we had imported an expensive biomechanics software so that we could keep a vigilant eye on our bowlers on a constant basis", said Mudassar.
The most unfortunate thing is that the PCB having paid for the pricey, state-of-the art stuff, it remains uninstalled and hence unused (it cost 350,000 British pounds and is said to be rotting away somewhere in the NCA).
Mudassar informed that he had ordered the stuff and got it delivered after the approval of the then chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf. "The system we relied on previously was called Quintec; that lacked clarity and hence was unreliable. We did not to compromise on top of the line system, so we ordered Vicon, which is used by such an authority as Dr Daryl Foster at the biomechanics lab of University of Western Australia - considered the best in the discipline in the world.
"But there was one difference: Foster uses one equipped with 12 cameras, while the one we preferred was the latest - with 18 cameras. Other than us only probably England has a similar programme".
But why does it remain uninstalled and unused? "I am not the one to answer that, but had I stayed on, it was only a matter of weeks and we would have been using it".
The PCB's incumbent honchos have accused their predecessors of much, but biomechanics equipment worth tens of millions uninstalled in the NCA is an accusation for them to answer.
