The Mighty Have Fallen: Systematic Disintegration Of Pakistan Cricket

Over the years, cricket enthusiasts have watched the Pakistan cricket team fall by the wayside. Once the Asian cricket powerhouse that dominated over India, their performance in the last few years has left a lot to be desired. Two ICC events, the 50-over World Cup last year and the current T20 World Cup have seen Pakistan cricket reach the lowest ebb of performance making them a subject of ridicule in the sporting world.?

Once they were the giants of Cricket….?

One has to wonder how it got so bad. They were a dominant team in cricket. They won the 1992 ODI World Cup and the 2009 T20 World Cup. They have produced the greatest players in cricket: Imran Khan, Zaheer Abbas, Saeed Anwar and Mudassar Nazar, to name a few. They had the best battery of pace bowlers. Who can forget the swing kings Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Aaqib Javed and Umar Gul?

Decline, decline, decline…

Despite the presence of legends, Pakistan cricket has seen a steady decline. They are getting beaten by minnows and associate teams. We saw how badly they lost to the USA in the ongoing T20 World Cup. All this begs the question: How did it get so bad?

The answers are right here:

Lack of investment and Focus On Domestic Cricket:

?Pakistan never invested in grooming talent. Their infrastructure has been woefully inadequate for ages, but the last 15 years have been the worst. With their economy in shambles, a revival of the domestic cricket structure seems impossible. Even though cricket is the most popular sport in Pakistan, the politicians there are busy trying to hold on to power or travelling the world for funds to keep the country afloat.

PCB made 5 billion PKR in 2023

That is equivalent to 1.5 billion Indian Rupees. That is peanuts compared to the BCCI revenue of 69 billion, but one has to wonder where the money made by PCB goes.?

Corruption?

PCB has been accused of corruption and financial irregularities. But the people running the board have never been removed. Are they hand-in-glove with the people in power? Why has no action been taken against them?

Infighting

Pakistan team members are always in conflict with each other. Players are playing politics, with the team divided into three camps: Babar Azam, Mohd. Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi.? Cricket is a team sport, no matter how good you are, the team has to work together to win. It is painfully obvious that the team members do not get along with each other- how will they give their 100%?? Pakistan cricket team looks like 11 separate teams wearing one uniform, they cannot function together as a unit.

Nepotism

Team selection smacks of nepotism. Nepo kids like Azam Khan have become an embarrassment for the team. Favouritism and corruption in the team selection process are an open secret.

Lack of domestic pool

Domestic cricket is dead in Pakistan. A half-decent performance in the PSL is enough to earn national stripes. If a player is unfortunate to get injured, he has no support from the cricket board for rehab and recovery. Indian Cricket Board spends millions on a player’s rest and rehab and ensures a process that enables them to return to active play. Once a player is out of favour with the team management, he disappears forever from the cricket circuit.

Toothless Coaching Staff?

Coach and support staff are rendered powerless:? Their role is irrelevant. The show is run by selected people behind the scenes, who flaunt them with impunity, making immature decisions that harm team performance. Even well-known professional coaches have proven ineffective, thanks to continuous interference from the powers-to-be.

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Lack Of Professionalism?

The PCB has been a miserable failure in adapting to the changing conditions of cricket in the modern era. Talent alone cannot ensure victories. There are several aspects of the game that a player needs to understand to play at international level. Psychological conditioning, technology and sports medicine are integral in cricket. Pakistan seems unwilling to understand and adapt to them.

Learn From Your Mistakes, PCB

One has to change with the times to remain relevant in the highly competitive cricket world. At the same time, one should forget the basics of grooming domestic cricketers, and prepare them to compete at the top levels.

Miracles can give you a couple of World Cup trophies but cannot ensure a consistent high-quality performance. It is time for Pakistan to realise this and make the relevant changes. Or else, they will be relegated as a spent force in cricket.?