A Simple Analogy to the decline in Pakistan cricket

[Babar_Azam_fan]

Players : A stream of water
Domestic Cricket/ System: Sewage Pipeline
World class coaches: Gold and Silver Pipeline


Any cricketer that comes from the domestic system is basically like water passing through a Sewage pipeline, so it doesn’t matter if you then pass it through a gold and silver pipeline, it’s still what it’s.

No matter what coaches you get(not saying you should select bad ones) the players are coming from a system which is nothing but a joke


Change PM
Change Board members
Change management
Change captain
Change players
Repeat

It’ll do nothing. It’s just like changing the gold/ silver pipeline.

Players are made in domestic cricket and just polished at the international.

Passing a clean water through a gold/ silver pipeline might be healthy but the water should come from a clean pipeline

Just like you don’t need a gold pipeline, even a metal pipeline is good enough, even half decent coaches are enough but the domestic should be robust

 

[CricketingMinds]

Players : A stream of water
Domestic Cricket/ System: Sewage Pipeline
World class coaches: Gold and Silver Pipeline


Any cricketer that comes from the domestic system is basically like water passing through a Sewage pipeline, so it doesn’t matter if you then pass it through a gold and silver pipeline, it’s still what it’s.

No matter what coaches you get(not saying you should select bad ones) the players are coming from a system which is nothing but a joke


Change PM
Change Board members
Change management
Change captain
Change players
Repeat

It’ll do nothing. It’s just like changing the gold/ silver pipeline.

Players are made in domestic cricket and just polished at the international.

Passing a clean water through a gold/ silver pipeline might be healthy but the water should come from a clean pipeline

Just like you don’t need a gold pipeline, even a metal pipeline is good enough, even half decent coaches are enough but the domestic should be robust

Interesting analogy. Can you elaborate on what you mean by "Domestic system should be robust".

The word robust is very vague here in my opinion. If you can clarify this point, pls, that'd be awesome. Thanks!

 

[Savak]

Australia has or used to have the best domestic structure, they have not produced a quality leg spinner like Shane Warne, Stuart McGill. They are struggling to produce quality test batsmen and there are atleast 3-4 batting vacancies in the test side and doom another 6-7 vacancies when the likes of Warner, Steve Smith and Marnus will no longer be around

 

[Itachi]

You gave good analogy but question remains the same. How you make domestic system robust?

 

[TNAmarkFromIndia]

You gave good analogy but question remains the same. How you make domestic system robust?

You should have more teams. 6 teams for a population of 200 million? Very less. Lots of young players don't get a chance to play first-class cricket like Shafique. You don't develop many players that way. You should have 12+ teams. Even if in a 2-tier promotion/relegation system.

Also you should insist on only certified coaches to coach the state/province teams. If Pakistan doesn't have a certification system for coaches then adopt the English/Australian one.

Also build a support staff team for each state/province side that would include nutritionists, strength training coaches, physios etc. that would be looking over the senior and junior teams. I'm sure there are plenty of those in Pakistan.

 

[Itachi]

You should have more teams. 6 teams for a population of 200 million? Very less. Lots of young players don't get a chance to play first-class cricket like Shafique. You don't develop many players that way. You should have 12+ teams. Even if in a 2-tier promotion/relegation system.

Also you should insist on only certified coaches to coach the state/province teams. If Pakistan doesn't have a certification system for coaches then adopt the English/Australian one.

Also build a support staff team for each state/province side that would include nutritionists, strength training coaches, physios etc. that would be looking over the senior and junior teams. I'm sure there are plenty of those in Pakistan.

If there is 1 or 2 good players coming out of 6 teams in the range of multiple years, then less numbers of teams isn't the issue.

 

[Savak]

You should have more teams. 6 teams for a population of 200 million? Very less. Lots of young players don't get a chance to play first-class cricket like Shafique. You don't develop many players that way. You should have 12+ teams. Even if in a 2-tier promotion/relegation system.

Also you should insist on only certified coaches to coach the state/province teams. If Pakistan doesn't have a certification system for coaches then adopt the English/Australian one.

Also build a support staff team for each state/province side that would include nutritionists, strength training coaches, physios etc. that would be looking over the senior and junior teams. I'm sure there are plenty of those in Pakistan.

There are no quick fixes, you cannot uplift a 70 year old rotten domestic structure in just 1-2 years, it takes continuous dedication to the implementation of the decision to uplift domestic cricket, continous funding and a lot of hard work. These are not quick fixes.

I remember in the late 90's, how many people world wide used to make fun of Dennis Lillee's MRF pace academy in India and what has it actually produced for Indian Cricket but the BCCI kept investing in India's domestic cricket structure, academies, coaches, IPL and we are now seeing the results a good 10 plus years later.

Even with the best of intentions from the PCB and regular pumping of money in domestic cricket by the PCB, the mediocre players and coaches in domestic cricket, U-19 cricket are not going to magically transform over night

I would like the PCB to learn from the BCCI and Indian Cricket in 2000 when Ganguly took over the Indian team and he was allowed to do his job quietly with no expectations and gradually he changed the way the Indian team played the game and all the other captains who came after him reaped the rewards.

Pakistan needs the same thing right now. Appointing a captain who is an undisputed confirmed member in all formats i.e. Babar Azam, win or lose, just stick with him, allow him to build his side, learn on the job, don't have high expectations and have continuity.

 

[aloo paratha]

You should have more teams. 6 teams for a population of 200 million? Very less. Lots of young players don't get a chance to play first-class cricket like Shafique. You don't develop many players that way. You should have 12+ teams. Even if in a 2-tier promotion/relegation system.

Also you should insist on only certified coaches to coach the state/province teams. If Pakistan doesn't have a certification system for coaches then adopt the English/Australian one.

Also build a support staff team for each state/province side that would include nutritionists, strength training coaches, physios etc. that would be looking over the senior and junior teams. I'm sure there are plenty of those in Pakistan.

6 teams (technically 12) is enough. Some of the 2nd XI players are seriously mediocre.

 

[King_Kohli]

6 teams concept in domestic cricket is a joke.
You need to expand ASAP.

 

[TNAmarkFromIndia]

If there is 1 or 2 good players coming out of 6 teams in the range of multiple years, then less numbers of teams isn't the issue.

I disagree. Having just 6 teams means you're missing out on many more players who might have developed had they been playing a more competitive level of cricket. It doesn't just have to be first-class players. You look at potential T20 players blossoming as ODI players. An example from India is Riyan Parag. He plays for Assam which is near the bottom of cricket-playing states in India. His domestic stats isn't anything to write home about either. But he has played innings against international level bowlers in the IPL which defied those numbers. If the domestic system was just limited to the top teams, he most likely wouldn't even have been discovered by IPL scouts.

 

[Savak]

6 teams concept in domestic cricket is a joke.
You need to expand ASAP.

Its not 6 teams, its 12 teams rn. First eleven teams, Second eleven teams. You then have the various city teams and clubs below that. Rn because of Covid, the PCB plans to get the city associations and clubs going have been delayed.

Just hypothetically speaking, if each regional team has 2 teams i.e. first eleven, second eleven, and then 5 city teams below it, 40-50 clubs. You can easily accomodate the 2000 cricketers in Pakistan under this revised domestic structure.

 

[TNAmarkFromIndia]

There are no quick fixes, you cannot uplift a 70 year old rotten domestic structure in just 1-2 years, it takes continuous dedication to the implementation of the decision to uplift domestic cricket, continous funding and a lot of hard work. These are not quick fixes.

Stuff like these are easy to implement in the short term. You won't find certified coaches immediately but you can start a system where say in 3 years, you cannot be a coach for a state side without completing 'B' level certification or whatever and in 5 years, you cannot be a coach for a state side without completing the 'A' level certification or whatever. That would ensure coaches would complete each level of the course over the stipulated time. Then you eventually set standards for coaching at club cricket level as well, like you need minimum 'C' level certification or whatever. Clubs would have to register with the PCB and prove that they have a certified coach and decent quality of facilities, and going to the PCB website, any kid/parent can enter their area to find the nearest PCB officially registered/approved club. Maybe even include a star-rating system as voted by the kids/parents?

Maybe the latter half of the above is asking a lot from Pakistan, but if this Wasim guy is serious about changing Pakistan cricket, it can be done.