Former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar recently vented out his frustration over Pakistan’s woeful performance against England in their latest Test series. The loss which saw Pakistan go down by an innings and 47 runs in Multan has sparked off some serious concerns over the state of cricket in the country. Speaking on PTV Sports, Shoaib Akhtar comes down hard on the players and management, warning that cricketing in Pakistan has slid steadily through the last ten years.
Pakistan’s defeat at the hands of England has again disappointed the fans and former players. The latter, having taken a dominating lead by 556 in the first inning, failed to capitalize and instead allowed England to present an exciting response of 823/7. Finally, the bowling was at ease to bowl out Pakistan for just 220 runs in the second inning of the match.
Shoaib Akhtar, known as the “Rawalpindi Express,” was a man who would never speak less than his mind. He had nothing but disappointment in his words against the side for not being resilient enough, saying that the fact they weren’t putting up a fight presented a greater problem. “You reap what you sow,” he said. “Losings are alright, but the game must be close. What we witnessed over the last two days was the team losing all hope. It also reveals that we are not good enough to play at this level.”
Shoaib Akhtar expressed his severe fear over Pakistan’s future status as a Test cricket nation, feeling that if such abysmal performances were to continue, further isolation could come Pakistan’s way. However, Shoaib Akhtar confessed that fans were even asking Pakistan to pull out of the WTC due to their not being able to hold their end in the balance. “The ICC must be pondering over the thought: ‘Should we continue sending teams to Pakistan and keep their Test status breathing?’ Disheartening. This is going to pain Pakistan cricket, its fans, and the potential talents we hope to groom,” lamented Akhtar.
The legendary pacer stressed that this is a great time for the PCB, which under the guidance of the chairman Mohsin Naqvi, should bring drastic measures to the table right now and put the system in order. He said that the board must look into serious reformation of the cricketing system, not only to improve it in terms of player development but also to make it more solid. “I request the PCB to sort out this mess for the sake of our cricket’s future,” Shoaib Akhtar added.
Shoaib Akhtar mentioned that a “group” problem existed among Pakistan cricketers. He discussed how the problems of political groupings among its players have been tearing the team apart. Akhtar also believes that weak leadership and indecisive management created these sorts of problems.
“If your management and captain are weak, there will be groups. If the captain is selfish or lacks authority, different groups will form within the team. This has been the culture in Pakistan cricket since my playing days,” Shoaib Akhtar said. He added, “Lack of clear direction from the coaching staff and management has deepened these divisions that make it hard for the team to unite and play as a cohesive unit.”.
They come at the most urgent hour when Pakistan cricket needs reforms. He underlined that to turn things around for the team, the cultural change needed must include accountability and disciplinary actions before it became a “winning team” mentality. “It’s not about the talent; it’s about the mindset and the culture in the dressing room. Until we change that, our performances will not improve,” he said.
He said the best leadership through a decisive captain and a management team that holds players accountable for their performance would be the key. He is confident about clear communication and a well-defined structure constructing a team that has the great potential to compete with the best in the world.
Akhtar, however, is hopeful that Pakistan still can turn itself around. He claimed that the country lacked nothing in terms of raw talent and that the right guidance to the PCB would send Pakistan cricket back to all its glory days. That call by Akhtar for the PCB to step up and take charge of the situation mirrors the general trend of saying among cricket fans and analysts that urgent action should be taken before things start going down the drain completely.
The need for Pakistan, while reviving cricketing prowess, is to move from focusing on more or less randomly recruiting and getting the best. Rather, it requires building a systematic framework wherein promising young talent is identified, schooled, groomed, and nurtured, and internal politics destroyed. The rebuilding of the team’s morale, so each player feels a sense of pride in wearing the nation’s jersey, is an important step in such a process.
While Pakistan prepares itself to face the challenges of the future cricketing arena in the world, hopes that the present players will come good, inspired by the greats like Shoaib Akhtar, to recreate the reputation of a superpower in cricket for Pakistan.
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