Pakistan cricket: In a state of free fall
There was a time when Pakistan was a threat. Today, Pakistan is a threat to themselves as their decadence in cricket is like an unstoppable fall from grace. Their recent loss to a feeble Sri Lanka not only tells us a tale of a team that has deteriorated in quality, but also suffered miserably due to a lack of vision and clarity.
Since Misbah-ul-haq was given the responsibility of a coach cum selector, the team and its prospects have turned inwards. Although there have been no abrupt changes in captaincy in the last few years and Sarfaraz Ahmed seems to be in the good books of Misbah, there is an element of incompetence and drivel that has clouded the team. Losing to a hapless and intimidated Sri Lanka at home should send the Pakistani management pondering as to how they managed to redefine irony. The number one team in T20 cricket losing to a group of players who were scared witless to come and play in Pakistan?
Misbah as a player has been formidable for the team. But since his retirement the Pakistani team has suffered at various levels and managed to do nothing about it. A few months before Misbah retired, Pakistan was the top ranked test team and today they are seventh. Not a promising note considering the test championship is what most teams are eyeing.
Even the domestic circuit in Pakistan, or the lack of it, is adding to Pakistan’s decline. The need for better pitches and infrastructure is something that the management has aspired for, but the difference between achievement and vision is a gaping one.
Pakistan has failed to plan each format in line with its evolution. T20 cricket is still not considered a test of a cricketer’s ability but it is considered to be a fitness marker where Pakistan has failed miserably. The fielding display against Sri Lanka was as morbid as the sight of a Mohammad Amir being fledged off the park by an unknown Lankan middle order batsman. The World T20 also happens next year in Australia where the reputation Pakistan will carry might make or break their chances.
A country already in turmoil and a sport that is crying for a change may not be the best combination to strive for, but Pakistan could well learn from India on how to groom players and not mince management styles with coaching standards. There is a conflict of interest, with Misbah-ul-haq being the coach and the selector, but he for sure cannot complain now that he is not getting the team he wants to play.
Regardless of the bilateral freeze between India and Pakistan, the latter’s ascendance in world cricket will only bring delight and cheer to a purist cricket fan. But at the same time, let’s hope that Pakistani cricket is not run like the country runs itself.
Vineet Malhotra is a Consulting Editor and Prime Time Anchor with News X.