Tarouba, third ODI. Pakistan, humbled by West Indies by 92 runs.
The
scorecard was barely filed before the familiar chorus began: change the
captain, replace the coach, shuffle the selectors, reboot the PCB from the
ground up. The reflex is almost ritualistic now — the nation’s cricketing DNA
reacting to defeat the same way it did in the 1990s. And like clockwork, the
cycle will reverse if Pakistan takes the next series against a top-tier side.
The reform proposals will evaporate, buried under celebration, only to be
exhumed after the next inevitable slump.
For 33
years since the retirement of Imran Khan, Pakistan cricket has lived in this
self-perpetuating loop — chopping, changing, blaming, forgetting. The team has
produced a steady stream of raw talent but has failed to convert promise into
sustained greatness. Players who debut with Bradmanesque praise, like Babar
Azam, often descend into mediocrity, their arcs echoing a broader systemic
decline.
A
Talent-Rich Team Starved of Direction
Pakistan’s
problem is not a scarcity of skill; it is a scarcity of stability. What this
team plays now is templated cricket — predictable, uninspired, safe to the
point of stagnation. The country’s cricketing structure is bleeding from
multiple self-inflicted wounds: internal politics, alleged government
interference, revolving-door appointments of captains, coaches, selectors, and
chairmen, and an erratic domestic system overhauled almost on a whim.
Cricket in
Pakistan, like its once-great field hockey, suffers from institutional
corrosion. The difference? Cricket’s body is kept on life support by ICC
revenue. But no infusion of money can replace the absence of a clear blueprint
for the future.
When
Politics and Cricket Share the Same Bed
The
intertwining of Pakistan’s cricket and political landscapes is neither subtle
nor new — but it is increasingly corrosive. Once, unpredictability was Pakistan
cricket’s greatest on-field weapon. Today, unpredictability is the trademark of
its administration.
From
presidential patronage to prime ministerial appointments, the chairmanship of the PCB has always been a political currency. In just three and a half years, the Board
has cycled through four chairmen. Every change brings a purge: committees
dissolved, policies scrapped, systems reset to zero. The baby is thrown out
with the bathwater; the tub is smashed for good measure.
The result?
Any semblance of long-term planning dies young. The political fate of cricket
mirrors the political fate of the country. Even the arc of Imran Khan himself —
from World Cup-winning captain to jailed ex-Prime Minister accused of damaging
the game he once embodied — is symbolic of this entanglement. The collapse is
not the work of one man; it is a collective failure, deepening with each regime
change.
The
Coaching Carousel and Structural Chaos
The churn
isn’t limited to administrators. Coaches are hired with fanfare, stripped of
authority, then either forced out or driven away. Gary Kirsten lasted six
months before quitting over power struggles. Jason Gillespie walked away in
disgust days before a Test series, citing disrespect and arbitrary interference
in squad selection.
Selection
committees have been remade midstream; domestic structures have been rebuilt
and dismantled multiple times since 1992. In 2019, with Imran Khan in power,
the fifth constitutional change in 24 years overhauled the entire system — yet
still failed to create continuity. Each change has been more about control than
competence.
The
Missed Guardians of Pakistan Cricket
Former
players could be the steadying hands Pakistan cricket desperately needs — if
they were willing to step into the chaos. But many won’t. Wasim Akram, for
instance, has offered to mentor “free of charge,” yet refuses any formal role,
unwilling to endure the insults and political infighting that come with the
territory.
Within the
current setup, leadership is a revolving door. Babar Azam, long-time captain,
has been accused of favouritism and was never truly captaincy material. His
unwillingness to address his weaknesses and reliance on past glories prevent
him from being considered great. Mohammad Rizwan, hailed as a hero mere days
ago, is now cast as a liability. Slightly better than Babar in terms of
decisiveness, he is still prone to exhibitionism — chasing social media
applause rather than forging a legacy on the field.
The cycle
repeats: new faces are brought in with fanfare, while the past is buried
without ever solving the underlying issues. Shaheen Shah Afridi was prematurely
anointed as the next Wasim Akram, yet appears more focused on personal earnings
than honing his craft. Other emerging talents orbit around these central
figures, rising and falling with the tides of media hype.
A System That Chokes Its Own Talent
The tragedy
is not a lack of ability. Pakistan still produces cricketers with the potential
to rival the world’s best. But in a system that prizes short-term noise over
long-term development, excellence rarely survives.
Discipline,
relentless hard work, technical refinement, and — most importantly — a renewed
commitment to Test cricket are the foundations Pakistan must rebuild upon.
Without them, the nation will remain trapped in its paradox: endlessly
producing gifted players, only to watch them wither in an environment that
rewards spectacle over substance.
The
Final Over
The
diagnosis is not complicated: Pakistan cricket needs stability more than it
needs the next superstar batsman or miracle coach. But stability demands
patience, political insulation, and a commitment to long-term vision —
commodities in short supply.
Until the
governance stops mirroring the volatility of the pitch in Karachi during a
fifth-day collapse, Pakistan will remain caught in this loop: moments of
brilliance, followed by droughts of mediocrity, and always — always — another
round of musical chairs.
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