Comments on: From world champs to battered chumps?

By: Mohsin Malik

Mohsin Malik — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Presidential yoke and change – Long overdue at PCB

Domestic set up is flawed!

Recent statement by Younis Khan concerning the set up of cricket in the country but either it’s a case of late revelation to the chiding Pakistan captain or a rude awakening in the light of continuous defeats suffered in both tests and ODI’s during the team’s recent tour to Sri Lanka.

Pakistan cricket team and for that matter the whole country was basking in T20/twenty world cup glory barely six weeks from now. Such ripples and euphoria however, would continue to prove temporary in nature and dissipate quickly even in the near future if measures that are long overdue are not taken to put the overall PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) house in order.

In this regard, talk about the much needed overhaul of the system has been heard in the past and seen reverberating amongst the cricketing circles for some years but all such endeavors have yielded little as these pleas have fallen on deaf ears of the bureaucracy. Leading from the front have been cricketing legends of the past – notably Imran Khan, Miandad, Wasim Akram and of late other contemporaries who have joined the band wagon in good faith.

It has been identified that the role of the bureaucracy which finds its roots in the Presidency itself may have to be reduced and diminished to an extent that renders the process of democratic election throughout the working of this institution to evolve going forward. The PCB has been run on an ad-hoc basis for rather too long and the process of hand picked selections and nominations continue unabated with no end in sight.

Dr. Nasim Ashraf’s example is fresh in memory and lends a strong point in case. After Musharraf’s ouster from the Presidency, Dr. Ashraf resigned promptly. Why? If a change in Presidency is to have ill effects on the normal continued running of a sports body in the country such as the PCB – then, we need to de-link it from President’s office in its present form and shape. After the key administrator(s) of the game are hand picked and nominated by the Presidential office, the undesired precedence of this selection process continues, thereon.

Talking of remedy, first and foremost in this regard is the key demand that has been circulating in the media for a while and calls for ridding the PCB of this Presidential yoke.

The PCB needs to flourish as an institution so that it may provide focus on nurturing the game of cricket in the country that we all Pakistanis cherish. It’s time for a change!

Mohsin Malik
San Francisco Bay Area

By: Vasi

Vasi — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Well, for starters we need to overhaul not only the domestic cricket structure but also the PCB management. A management that can handle all the challenges through an approach that reflects not only prudence but far-sightedness as well; at the national and the global level. Global being the priority, as the national issues should be handed over, to an extent, to the local (city or regional) associations. It is the responsibility of the PCB to ensure that Pakistan gets its fair share of Test matches, as this disappointing situation cannot just be blamed on the country’s security situation (the ICC’s FTP or Future Tours Program speaks for itself for the past few years or so, for the board’s failure in this regard).

Then we have the very crucial issue, unnecessarily dragged on for a long time, of the batting technique. Efficient solutions lie at the building of proper coaching academies, etc. (at all major centers across the country)for the aspiring young cricketers coming up. A batting coach with the national team might not just be the answer. Another issue that has come up time and again is mental toughness, at the test level in particular. Desperately need to cope with it. Last, but not the least, perhaps Younis Khan should be given the authority (with team selection and strategizing) the same as was enjoyed by former captain Imran Khan.

By: Nicky

Nicky — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Give the Pak cricketers a break. They cannot win every tournament. No team can. The Indian team was lambasted for their T-20 performance because they failed to play a credible game. Not because they lost. They went on to win the West Indies tour and are almost on top of the rankings. Same with Pak or any other team. Good luck to them.

By: Ali

Ali — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Need openers, and i think Misbah and Yousaf should retire from one day.

By: Moeed

Moeed — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Hi i think all pakistan team need is that the captain himself accept failure rather then hurling it on the other team members, he should himself consider to be part of the whole team and lift the morale of the team as a whole this would once again give birth to unity in team…. otherwise pakistan as we all know is far superior than Sri Lankan cricket team…frankly speaking.

By: Al Irteza

Al Irteza — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Self destruction has become a part of our society. We can blame on many things from good domestic infra to administration but the reality is that the present team has performed 100% below their potential. Constant shuffling of the players, wrong selection of playing 11, no batting coach, and temperant of our batsman are basics that we need to work on first. Our investment of multiple years in players like Sulman Butt, Sohail Tanvir, Misbah-ul-Haq, and others should be preserved. Throwing 3-4 new players in the team based on domestic stats is not going to resolve the situation. There must be proper evaluation of their technique and temperament before selecting them.

By: Ahsan Bawa

Ahsan Bawa — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Time to make a wholesale change, again i would say it is time and very right time to make a wholesale change because we have to keep very important tournaments in mind which will be played in near including world cup which is not too far, it is very clean that the management including captain and coach performance including their plans either do not exist and if they do then they are not good enough at all for modern international cricket.

We need more clever and inteligent coach and a captain, we can make this decision only now cant make it days,weeks or few months before the world cup plus few more management and selection tactics needs to change in order to bring pakistan back on track.

Again i would say we have got a decent combination and less brains in terms of coach and captain you can see that clear on field if you are a regular follower of pakistan cricket, we need change now before it gets too late as our cricket team and reputation in international cricket is going down match by match, thanks to twenty20 world cup success apart from that we have not seen any joy as a pakistani cricket supporter.

By: Johnny

Johnny — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Yep. A total fluke.

By: Usman

Usman — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

I simply believe that the Pakistan team simply lost because they did not choose the right team for all 3 of the ODIs. This is how the team should have been in my view:

1. Imran Nazir; proven match-winner for any Pak team.

2. Nasir Jamshed/Fawad Alam; Jamshed is a solid opener who has contributed 50s to Pakistan wins whilst Alam opened admirably in the Tests to conjure a superb century

3. Younis Khan; he is the captain and can hold the fire for a while if the openers collapse.

4. Umar Akmal; impressive youngster who can attack and defend as the situation dictates.

5. Mohammad Yousuf; adds solidity to the lineup as his average of over 40 in ODIs dictates.

6. Shahid Afridi; matchwinner and allrounder…would be in any Pak side.

7. Kamran Akmal; the only wicketkeeper in the squad. Will have to do until Pakistan find a keeper who can actually keep decently.

8. Abdul Razzaq/Shoaib Akhtar; useful allrounder to have but I would prefer having a specialist bowler rather than one who bowls part-time.

9. Umar Gul; proven matchwinner with the ball

10. Mohammad Aamer; the brightest young talent in Pakistan.

11. Saeed Ajmal; up and coming spinner who can keep one end tight in the middle overs.

This is the side which I think should have entered the series and if Mohammad Asif was fit I would have added him to my line-up too becuase he and Shoaib add the sizzle from the line-up that has been missing as of late.

By: Ashraf

Ashraf — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

We are very emotional people and cannot take defeat with the victory in sports. I think the problem is not with the team but with the PCB. The team was not provided to play test cricket for almost 2 years, due to bad planning of the board. Even now the board is not doing enough to arrange more and more international engagements to compensate for the non-availability of home series. We all know we have so much of talent in this team and so many others knocking at the door to dislodge the older players… Give them some time and more international exposer and they will deliver. If we analyze critically their performances, they have not done that badly. However, they lacked in finishing which needs mental strength and training and it all comes with the experience and more test cricket. Last but not least, do not forget that SL is one of the top teams in the world today, especially in their home conditions.