It was a feat that impressed all and fun. Mohsin Naqvi rebuilt two major Crickt stages in three months, on time to celebrate one of the most prestigious international events in Cricket. A great de facto achievement. After all, he is known as the “man for all stations.” He juggled with his time between administering internal security as Minister of the Interior and taking care of Cricket’s issues as president of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), in addition to occasionally enjoying other important state issues.
But building stadiums and developing a strong cryket team capable of leaving its mark on international competitions are two different issues. Another humiliating exit of the Pakistan team in the initial round of the Champions Trophy ongoing underlines the rapid standard of the game in the country. It was the third time in three years that our team could not qualify for an ICC tournament. The last debacle in the Champions Trophy organized by the country was shameful.
As defense champions, Pakistan had won the last Champions Trophy in 2017. This time, he could not win a single game. It seemed a disjointed and apathetic unit, without the willingness to fight. It is not just short versions of the game; Pakistan is at the bottom of the nine nations of the World Testing Championship. Yes, winning and losing is part of the game. But Pakistan’s Cricket has fallen into a descending spiral in recent years in the three formats of the game. The team has not won the ICC title in seven years.
In the T20 World Cup last year, Pakistan was eliminated in the first round after losing to us, which was playing his first International Crickt tournament. In Cricket Test, your record is equally lousy. After having been engaged in two test series against Bangladesh, the classification of Pakistan fell to the lowest in the last six decades. We could not even win the series against the western Indies of lower rank.
Never before Pakistan’s Cricket has seen such consistently poor actions for so long. The instability and chaos that have become the distinctive seal of our national team are a reflection of the way we handle our Cricket affairs. The deterioration in the Pakistan Cricket has a lot to do with the politicization of appointments for the upper PCB position. And Crick’s affairs cannot be separated in the way the country is executed. Instability begins at the top.
We can be the only country where the choice of Cricket Head is carried out for political reasons.
Every government wants a loyal to the helm. A change in government invariably leads to the appointment of a new president. In less than three years, we have seen three presidents. In fact, with the exception of Ramiz Raja, who was appointed at the end of the Imran Khan government, no other PCB chief has had a lot to do with the Cricket.
Mohsin Naqvi was appointed president of the PCB last year towards the end of his mandate as the main Minister of Punjab. Like its predecessors, it has no previous experience of managing Crickt, and some link their appointment with the whims of certain sectors. A baron of the media also occupies the position of the most powerful cabinet in charge of internal security. In fact, the position of PCB president itself is a full -time job, which requires experience in game management. The frequent changes of the Crick Board head have made fun of Pakistan’s Cricket.
We can be the only country where the appointment of the Cricket’s head is done for political reasons and in the whims of the rulers. It is not only about control, but also the powers and advantages that come with the publication. The sponsorship system sports down. Each president brings with it a variety of changes in the staff of the back room and the leadership of the team. Non -professionalism is evident in this regard.
Given the frequent PCB disorders, the decrease in performance is not a surprise. In the last two years, 26 selectors have been designated, with some eliminated without ceremonies within a few months of taking charge. Captains are also frequently changed, which makes the team unstable.
According to Mickey Arthur, who was the Pakistan chief coach from 2016 to 2019, a “rotating door policy is having a harmful effect on the team.” Mickey is cited, who also trained Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017, which he won, saying: “The instability within Pakistan’s crying creates chaos, and players finally begin to play for themselves because they do not know what the next regime is in mind. It reduces mediocrity.”
That is exactly what has happened with the Pakistan Cricket team. “The stability comes from the top: in the team’s selection, the consistency in the players’ roles and make sure each player understands their role,” he said. It is not just about the appointment of a favorite for the upper slot: external interference in the team selection is not unusual here.
For example, not many years ago, an army chief wanted certain players to be included in the team. During a meeting in October 2021, the general now retired Qamar Javed Bajwa told me that after the T20 World Cup team was announced, he felt that the names of some players were missing in the list. “I called Ramiz Raja [the then PCB chairman] And he asked him to include three players in the team, ”he said. So, general, you also get involved in the selection in the Cricket, I joked. Those players were included in the team. “He was right. The three served well, ”replied the general, who claimed to have played first -class Cricket.
In view of this image of the Pakistani Cricket, is we surprised how things are currently? It is not surprising that the team has not been able to go beyond the first round in the current tournament and collapsed to this bass in the test classifications.
The writer is author and journalist.
zhussain100@yahoo.com
UNKNOWN: @hidhussain
Posted in Dawn, March 5, 2025
