Daily Times

For Pakistan, the 2016 World Twenty20 in India, just like Asia Cup 2016 in Bangladesh, turned out to be a worst nightmare. Pakistan were shown the door from the marquee tournament after losing three matches on the trot: against New Zealand, India and Australia. Skipper Shahid Afridi and his charges were only able to defeat Bangladesh in their opener. Quite a setback for an outfit that were expected to end up pretty close to the victory podium, if not really at the top. 2009 champions Team Pakistan made a humiliating exit. The players have shown all and sundry that they lack professionalism, sincerity, determination and team spirit despite having immense talent. And above all, they lack charismatic leader who could inspire Team Pakistan. In brief, a weak leader and team management, idiotic decisions, lack of mental toughness and motivation, defensive approach and clueless fielding were all parts of the script in this major disaster in India.

A big depression has engulfed the entire nation. Unbridled media and cricket fans of this ‘land of the pure’, without knowing the root cause and reasons behind the debacle, have taken their ‘knives’ out and they want heads to roll. They want ‘blood’. They want sacking of PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan and PCB executive committee chairman Najam Sethi. They want senior players to be ‘sent home’. Just like previous poor performances of Team Pakistan and reaction over them, the Blame Game has started with full force once again. Even those elements have jumped into this Blame Game, who know nothing about cricket. It is ironic that many of the game’s former cricketers, who once did the country proud by excelling on the field are blotting Pakistan cricket, along with some media persons who have their axe to grind, by either indulging in needless ego tussles or resorting to selfish gains at the game’s expense. Criticism for the sake of criticism and match-fixing rumours are once again polluting the air. Now this is hilarious, and, at the same time, very unfortunate. Is this the solution to improve Pakistan cricket? Today Pakistan cricket, it seems, is at the crossroads.

The Pakistani society has a short term memory. They forget very fast. They have forgotten all the victories and triumphs brought by these very players in the last couple of years. We must keep in mind that the change of command in no way promises success, planning does. But we are not a nation of sage souls. Rather we indulge in thoughtless decisions. If changing top PCB officials, captains, team managers, coaches and players after every defeat or poor performance had been the best remedy, Pakistan would have been top team of the world. Unfortunately, the technical understanding of issues is always ignored, and it triggers a rot. In other countries, people running the cricket affairs contribute by taking professional decisions and by executing them with competence rather than on the basis of personal preference and bias. But, frankly, we are not such a nation. The fact is that the way things are being conducted, the days ahead are anything but that.

Building a strong team is not an overnight process and it takes years to put together a balanced side keeping in view the modern approach to competitive international cricket, and the exacting scientific preparations that the international teams now favour. The standard of the game is changing so rapidly that the gap between the best and the second in line has narrowed considerably. In fact, the difference between the four top teams has become so small that whenever any two of them meet it is very difficult to predict the outcome of the game. A team with better tactics, strong captain, fearless and aggressive approach and super-fit players always taste success.

The Pakistan players still continue to make basic errors, time and again, game after game. Their ability and skill is on par with anyone else in the world but they seem to give away 10 percent in all the facets of the game that don’t actually require much more than discipline and habit. Consistency and fitness have gone missing in their performance. For many, the greenshirts are an enigma. They will go on and beat the top ranked team in their own backyard, or criminally lose out to a mundane opposition just as easily. Also one major problem with the Pakistan players is their endless cribbing. The Pakistan players need to either put up or shut up. Their actions don’t back the stuff their mouth is spewing.

Improving Pakistan cricket or putting things in the right direction is no rocket science. Even the present management of the PCB can achieve it. Pakistan cricket just requires commitment, honesty and self-belief. The immensely talented Pakistan players, coming from very humble backgrounds, need serious counseling and education on how to handle fame and money, how to tackle difficult and pressure situations, and how to achieve mental toughness. Most importantly they must be taught how to handle their big egos, which often creates difficulties for Team Pakistan. There is nothing wrong with the domestic structure of Pakistan. The PCB has to make it more competitive, glamorous and modern just like the Pakistan Super League. Seaming pitches, along with spinning tracks, should be prepared all over Pakistan to groom upcoming talent, including their fielding skills. They should be taught how to remain physically super-fit like the Indian, Australian and South African players. A foreign coach is must to improve temperament and technique of the Pakistan players. The future of Pakistan cricket heavily depends on paying attention to domestic cricket and broadening the base of the game. The PCB must also held Pakistan cricketers accountable of their actions in a transparent manner. Only hard and incessant efforts lead to success. Only then the elusive triumphs will replace the current tragedies that demean the team. In the absence of these, we should not dream of reaching skies. We should get the little things right and not repose all our faith in miracles. Pakistan cricket needs modern planning, optimism, strong leaders with vision, charisma, and the killer instinct. And it is not that difficult in a country having loads of talent.