we proved even in this World Cup that we were no match to our arch-rival.
Out of sheer disappointment and frustration, many cricket-lovers commented on the social media that the Pakistan team had played like club cricket. I believe, they were worse. It looked like a street cricket lacking professionalism and responsibility.
Unfortunately, the Pakistan team has been doing this in the past too and is thus known as “unpredictable”. Despite their individual talent, they can’t handle bad situations and don’t read conditions. Every player gets into the ground with his own strategy and follows his own game. Ultimately, they produce disastrous results.
Going through all this time and again, the cricket lovers start cursing the like of Younises, Afridis, Akmals and others. In fact, the blame lies somewhere else. We curse the product but ignore the fact that the fault lies with the factory and the makers’ ability and vision. To improve the quality of product, the factory needs to be overhauled by those who understand the subject well.
During the PPP government, the then sports minister once went to former president and sought to change the then chairman PCB Muhammad Ejaz But to save Pakistan cricket from touching further lows. In response, he was told that Ejaz would continue even if the game was ruined.
But later we saw more disastrous cricketing bosses. The incumbent Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was also warned over handing the country’s cricket over to his friends, but he too ignored all such warnings. Musharraf also left the cricket’s fate in the hands of his friends and favourites.
The cricket talent here is being killed by unprofessional people and opportunists. Few good performances or flukes may continue to bring few wins but the need of the hour is to focus on the real cause of the ill.
Cricket direly needs de-politicization. Let professionals and experts overhaul the system without any external influences. Dissolve the Cricket Board and cleanse it of mafias plaguing the game. And above all, discretion of rulers to appoint their favourites as cricket bosses must be curbed to save this strong bond of unity for Pakistan from complete collapse.