Disappointing the nation

The Pakistan cricket team has been knocked out in the group stage of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy due to back-to-back poor performances against New Zealand and then India. Frankly speaking, our team did not have the requisite skill, physical fitness and, above all, competitiveness to play against other top teams. The PCB, head coach, players and the selection committee all deserve to be blamed for this miserable showing. Everyone knows that most of the players selected have been underperforming for about the last three years. Why are we persisting with such substandard players? To save our cricket from permanent damage, major surgery is needed. The prime minister should take notice of the poor state of affairs and make the necessary changes to the PCB. Prioritising merit in coaching and player selection ought to be the centrepiece of any reforms. Underperforming players should be dropped. Unless bold decisions are taken, the PCB and the current players will keep on disappointing the nation.

Dr Nasreen Javed

Gujjarkhan