THE stories of our cricketing 'heroes, unable to contain their feelings and misbehaving on the ground, and some of them taking to match fixing for financial gains, have been uncomfortably common. These scandals, no doubt, bring a bad name to the team, and since the performance of players has come to be considered so important that it puts the prestige of the nation at stake, their victory draws countrywide accolade and defeat is mourned and criticised with equal vehemence. Therefore, there can be no question about the need for measures to pull the erring players up and, if they fail to reform, to give them punishment commensurate with their guilt. From that point of view, the Pakistan Cricket Board did the right thing to constitute a committee to go into the causes of the Australian tour fiasco. The committee gave a hearing to everyone accused of misbehaviour. But, as the PCBs role itself has frequently come under severe criticism, and hardly ever without justification, on counts like promoting favourites at the cost of deserving candidates, the composition of the committee should not have been only of those affiliated with the Board. It definitely does not reflect impartiality. This was rightly pointed out by former Captain Inzamam-ul-Haq while commenting on a TV channel. Nevertheless, no one would disagree that punishments were badly needed. For instance, the outrageous act of biting the ball by a player of Shahid Afridis standing in the world of cricket could not possibly be condoned. One would not like to question the fine and the strictures to which he has been subjected. However, one would tend to agree with several cricketing giants of the country who have expressed their serious reservations at the life ban on former Captains Yunus Khan and Muhammad Yousaf, to play for Pakistan in international games. Their infighting must have led to affecting the teams morale and defeat. But a life ban is rather harsh.