Over the past 20 years, squash and hockey in Pakistan have seen a startling and ongoing fall. For a nation that has won a record four World Cup titles, three Olympic gold medals, and more, missing out on their third consecutive Olympic Games would be catastrophic. Jahangir and Jansher Khan were the Khans of squash in the 1980s and 90s. Squash as a sport has declined in Pakistan since Jansher’s final victory in the British Open in 1996. Scroll down to read Pakistan World Cup loss Leads To Criticism directed at Azam.
Pakistan World Cup loss Leads To Criticism directed at Azam
It has been questioned whether cricket in Pakistan will suffer the same fate as squash and hockey after the country’s disastrous performance in the ODI World Cup in Chennai.
Presenter of the cricket program The Pavillion on ‘A Sports,’ Fakhar-e-Alam posed this query to his panelists, who included former captains Wasim Akram, Moin Khan, Shoaib Malik, and Misbah-ul-Haq. He received no response.
Senior writer for Ary News from Pakistan Shahid Hashmi lost it halfway through his report from Chepauk. “This is the pain of the entire Pakistani population,” stated Basit Ali, one of the show’s guests.
Rashid Latif, a former captain of Pakistan, asserts that due to the financial commitment made to the sport, cricket in Pakistan will not suffer the same fate as squash and hockey.
In Pakistan, cricket will never go extinct. Latif told the Indian Express that it would not suffer the same fate as squash and hockey.
“The cause is financial. While the income of our cricket players isn’t as high as that of India, they are nonetheless well-cared for given the state of our economy. All T20 leagues are played by them, other than the IPL. In Pakistan, cricket has a far larger market value than other sports. It’s unfortunate what happened to our squash and hockey, but I don’t think Pakistani cricket is declining,” he continued.
However, Rashid chastised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the selectors, and the think tank for their World Cup performance.
All of the events that we witnessed in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and Chennai were the outcome of terrible selection. There is no lack of talent in Pakistan; rather, the issue is with the board and think tank and their willingness to give potential candidates an opportunity, according to Latif.
Rashid Latif has placed the responsibility on bureaucrats making decisions about day-to-day cricket operations and political meddling in Pakistani cricket.
After this performance, the right question to ask is, “Where can we improve? I’m not suggesting that the CEO or head of the high-performance center should be a former cricket player; rather, I’m proposing that the chairman should. Our issue is that these significant departments are being governed by bureaucrats, who are messing things up,” he stated.
Former Pakistani pacer Shoaib Akhtar has criticized the PCB for Pakistan’s disastrous Chennai match on his YouTube channel.
“What is currently shown on television accurately depicts the PCB.” This is the direct result of the decisions you have made in cricket over the previous 20 to 30 years. This is what you will ultimately receive,” he stated.
Shoaib added that there isn’t a single player on the Pakistani cricket team right now that inspires young people to take up the game. “Tell me one thing, does this team have even one inspirational cricket player?” he exclaimed. I saw people like Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram growing up. Which Pakistani cricket player can encourage young people to take up the sport?
Babar’s poor captaincy
Following Pakistan’s eight-wicket defeat to Afghanistan in the ODI World Cup, past captains of Pakistan, Wasim Akram, Moin Khan, Shoaib Malik, and Misbah-ul-Haq, harshly criticized Babar Azam’s captaincy, deeming him unfit for the position. After limiting Pakistan to 282, Afghanistan managed to chase it down with one over remaining.
The majority of previous Pakistani legends have made Babar their dart target, and he is currently drowning in criticism. In the past, Shoaib Malik has tweeted that friendships, likes, and dislikes are part of Pakistani culture under Babar. Malik stated on Monday that captain Babar Azam is the only one accountable for this predicament. “The captain is the one with the most responsibility,” he declared. He is King as a batsman, but he is not a leader.
Former Pakistani captain and wicketkeeper Moin Khan, who co-paneled with Malik, had harsh words to say about Babar. “He has been leading the side for the last four years,” he remarked. He has virtually always served as the team’s captain. He hasn’t learned a single thing in all this time.
According to the former captain of Pakistan, Babar Azam needs to take a cue from Virat Kohli and give up captaincy to pursue his passion for cricket.
As far as I’m concerned, he would have been a greater hitter than the team captain. Alam told this outlet, “Look at Kohli, he left India’s captaincy, and it has turned his fortunes around.”
Aqib Javed, a former pacer for Pakistan who previously criticized Azam for his cowardly style in Twenty20 cricket, now wants Shaheen Shah Afridi to lead Pakistan cricket, pointing to his achievements as captain of the Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League.
“After the World Cup, the Pakistani cricket team needs a new captain who can instill aggression in the players.” He stated on Suno News, “I will recommend Shaheen Afridi who took such decisions in the PSL that an ordinary player like Babar Azam cannot even think of.”
In the “Haarna mana hai” show on Geo TV, former all-rounder Abdul Razzaq made fun of Babar’s ranking. “Our No. 1 batsman can’t even step out and hit a six down the ground,” he remarked, “Jo same chukka nahi maar sakta.”
Mohammed Amir, a former teammate of Babar, stated in the same program: “He has been the captain for the past four years, and there has been no improvement.” He brought back the spinners because fast bowlers in Chennai were receiving reverse swings. His strategy hasn’t altered since Day 1.
According to Rashid Latif, Babar is surrounded by “yes men” in the think tank.
Nobody in that changing room can identify Babar’s mistakes. The issue is that nobody can tell Babar what to do in the changing room. The same thing occurred with India under Virat’s captaincy,” Latif remarked.
“Babar is making errors because he is unable to compute the overs.” The reason for this is T20 cricket. He can’t figure out how many overs his strike bowlers have. Babar should have received word from someone in the changing room that their pacers were bowling quite well, thus there was no reason to put Usama Mir in for the 46th over. But who will perform the hard yard, is the query.
Going forward for Pakistan
Pakistan is a country that should not be taken lightly. With their backs to the wall, the cornered tigers pose a greater threat. They were nearly eliminated from the T20 World Cup in Australia last year after losing to Zimbabwe, but they managed to get to the finals.
They had lost three straight games before winning three in a row and sneaking into the semi-final, just like they did in the 1992 World Cup.
Will the fable be told again? Could Babar replace Imran?
According to Rashid Latif, yes. “That’s the Pakistani way,” he added, “risk hai toh ishq hai.” They will need to play unconventional cricket, which Pakistan has successfully done in the past.
