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Asked Chatgpt to summarize Pakistan's cricket decline in the last 2 decades

Aang_The_last_airbender

Aang_The_last_airbender

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No extra prompts to get a leading answer:

Here's what Chatgpt gave, I like the short title of mini-periods.

Early 2000s – Mid-2000s: Transition & Turmoil​


  • 2005–2007: Veterans like Inzamam-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, and Mohammad Yousuf were still around, but Pakistan faced inconsistency.
  • 2007 World Cup: Shock early exit; coach Bob Woolmer died mysteriously, which cast a dark shadow over the team.
  • A mix of political interference, discipline issues, and unstable leadership marked this period.


2009: Terror Attack & Isolation​


  • In 2009, the Sri Lankan team was attacked in Lahore.
  • Result: No international cricket in Pakistan for a decade, forcing the team to play "home" series in the UAE.
  • A major blow to cricket development, fan engagement, and home advantage.


Spot-Fixing Scandal (2010)​


  • Mohammad Amir, Salman Butt, and Mohammad Asif were banned and jailed for spot-fixing during a tour to England.
  • Huge blow to credibility and trust; Amir was seen as the future and lost crucial years.


Misbah Era (2010–2017): Stability Through Grit​


  • Misbah-ul-Haq became captain and brought calm, discipline, and respect back.
  • Famous Test series win in England (2016) and Pakistan briefly became No. 1 in Tests.
  • However, limited-overs performance lagged; conservative style was criticized.


Champions Trophy Triumph (2017)​


  • Under Sarfraz Ahmed, Pakistan won the ICC Champions Trophy, beating India in a dominant final.
  • Moment of resurgence, thanks to young stars like Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali, Shadab Khan.


Post-2017: Inconsistency & Leadership Instability​


  • Constant chopping and changing of captains: Sarfraz → Azhar Ali → Babar Azam → Shan Masood → Shaheen Afridi (T20) → Babar again.
  • Management overhaul after nearly every ICC event or poor series.
  • Coaching carousel: Mickey Arthur, Misbah (as coach), Saqlain Mushtaq, and return of Arthur in various roles.


Babar Azam Era (2020–2023): Promise & Pressure​


  • Babar rose as a modern-day batting great; Pakistan reached:
    • T20 World Cup 2021 Semis
    • T20 World Cup 2022 Final (lost to England)
  • But ODI performance was poor, especially 2023 World Cup, where Pakistan failed to reach semis, leading to a major shake-up.


2024–2025: Ongoing Confusion​


  • Team riddled with captaincy crises, poor planning, and inconsistent selections.
  • Fans frustrated with PCB’s politicized decision-making and lack of long-term vision.
  • Young talents emerge but often not backed consistently.


Key Themes in the Slide​


  1. Inconsistent leadership and frequent captaincy changes.
  2. Off-field controversies (spot-fixing, politics).
  3. Lack of long-term planning in player development.
  4. Coaching and selection instability.
  5. Despite that, occasional brilliance and world-class individual talents (Babar, Shaheen, Rizwan).
 
Should have added the fiddle posters who continously loathe the country's no. 1 batsman.
 
Doesn’t give main reason for decline which is ISI/Army and Political leadership.

Once Pakistani public understands their cricket and system is tied to the state of their nation only then can they even hope of a change, till then they will languish at mid/bottom mid tier.
 
big_gamer007 said:
Doesn’t give main reason for decline which is ISI/Army and Political leadership.

Once Pakistani public understands their cricket and system is tied to the state of their nation only then can they even hope of a change, till then they will languish at mid/bottom mid tier.
Click to expand...
U want chatgpt to be banned in pak 🤣
 
I don’t know much about Pakistan captains before Imran Khan, but here is my assessment since then:

Imran Khan – A great player with a debonair personality. He had the aura to override the PCB and selectors. While it worked for him, it disrupted the overall cricketing process. Everyone after him thought they could pick any player from gully cricket and start winning. That’s not a sustainable strategy—especially if you don’t have Imran’s cricketing intelligence.

Javed Miandad – What worked for him didn’t necessarily work for others. He was a poor communicator.

Wasim Akram – A good captain and leader, but he had a team full of prima donnas and bad actors. They played attractive cricket, but that era clearly caused long-term damage.

The rest – Waqar, Moin, Rashid, Amir Sohail, etc. – Who cares or remembers?

Younis Khan – He should have been more successful, but it looks like he had issues and couldn’t handle the politics. He was too volatile of a character.

Inzamam-ul-Haq – He checked a lot of boxes and brought in discipline, but at the cost of over-influencing the team with religion. Suddenly, cricket seemed like the second-most important thing in the Pakistan team.

Shahid Afridi – A mercurial player but not even 0.5% captaincy material, based on his attitude and behavior.

Sarfaraz Ahmed – A good captain and on-field strategist, but too meek of a personality and an extremely mediocre cricketer. Probably the most mediocre cricketer to captain Pakistan in the modern era. Because of that, everyone walked all over him.

Now, Misbah-ul-Haq:

After the Sri Lanka team attack and the spot-fixing controversy, Pakistan cricket should have been done. It was the worst PR crisis the team had ever faced. In walks a domestic veteran, an MBA, and a decent batsman to take over in a volatile situation. He was either picked to fail completely or manage the crisis—either way, not an ideal position to be in.

He managed difficult seniors like Malik, Hafeez, Afridi, and Younis, while also picking youngsters who were decent players and not troublemakers or prima donnas. He instilled a work ethic in the team and transformed Pakistan into a side that maximized its talent—moving away from relying on freakishly mercurial players who might win a one-off game but underperform the rest of the time.

Misbah made Pakistan a respectable Test side. You can win the WT20 or World Cup, but if you’re not a serious Test side, no one respects you. Under his leadership, Pakistan won the Asia Cup (which Pakistan have only won twice in their history), and Test series in India and South Africa.

Misbah has been the glue holding the team together. He deserves more respect. I’d say he’s one of the most important personalities—leave alone cricketers—to emerge from Pakistan in the last 15–20 years.
 
This is why Misbah was added to the Pakistani hall of fame and won the icc spirit of cricket award aswell.
 
big_gamer007 said:
Doesn’t give main reason for decline which is ISI/Army and Political leadership.

Once Pakistani public understands their cricket and system is tied to the state of their nation only then can they even hope of a change, till then they will languish at mid/bottom mid tier.
Click to expand...
I avoided any extra prompt to avoid any bias creeping in. Just wanted a blank slate answer from AI.
 
Local.Dada said:
I don’t know much about Pakistan captains before Imran Khan, but here is my assessment since then:

Imran Khan – A great player with a debonair personality. He had the aura to override the PCB and selectors. While it worked for him, it disrupted the overall cricketing process. Everyone after him thought they could pick any player from gully cricket and start winning. That’s not a sustainable strategy—especially if you don’t have Imran’s cricketing intelligence.

Javed Miandad – What worked for him didn’t necessarily work for others. He was a poor communicator.

Wasim Akram – A good captain and leader, but he had a team full of prima donnas and bad actors. They played attractive cricket, but that era clearly caused long-term damage.

The rest – Waqar, Moin, Rashid, Amir Sohail, etc. – Who cares or remembers?

Younis Khan – He should have been more successful, but it looks like he had issues and couldn’t handle the politics. He was too volatile of a character.

Inzamam-ul-Haq – He checked a lot of boxes and brought in discipline, but at the cost of over-influencing the team with religion. Suddenly, cricket seemed like the second-most important thing in the Pakistan team.

Shahid Afridi – A mercurial player but not even 0.5% captaincy material, based on his attitude and behavior.

Sarfaraz Ahmed – A good captain and on-field strategist, but too meek of a personality and an extremely mediocre cricketer. Probably the most mediocre cricketer to captain Pakistan in the modern era. Because of that, everyone walked all over him.

Now, Misbah-ul-Haq:

After the Sri Lanka team attack and the spot-fixing controversy, Pakistan cricket should have been done. It was the worst PR crisis the team had ever faced. In walks a domestic veteran, an MBA, and a decent batsman to take over in a volatile situation. He was either picked to fail completely or manage the crisis—either way, not an ideal position to be in.

He managed difficult seniors like Malik, Hafeez, Afridi, and Younis, while also picking youngsters who were decent players and not troublemakers or prima donnas. He instilled a work ethic in the team and transformed Pakistan into a side that maximized its talent—moving away from relying on freakishly mercurial players who might win a one-off game but underperform the rest of the time.

Misbah made Pakistan a respectable Test side. You can win the WT20 or World Cup, but if you’re not a serious Test side, no one respects you. Under his leadership, Pakistan won the Asia Cup (which Pakistan have only won twice in their history), and Test series in India and South Africa.

Misbah has been the glue holding the team together. He deserves more respect. I’d say he’s one of the most important personalities—leave alone cricketers—to emerge from Pakistan in the last 15–20 years.
Click to expand...
Afridi had some ok moments as ODI captain but his overall image is tarnished because of what happened with his test captaincy but overall your assessment is pretty good.
 
DeadlyVenom said:
Afridi had some ok moments as ODI captain but his overall image is tarnished because of what happened with his test captaincy but overall your assessment is pretty good.
Click to expand...
naa Afridi himself acted as a fool and there were too many media leaks by him.

The ball tempering, the fight he picked up with Ijazz Butt. Than in 2015 he tried to sabotage Misbah's captaincy. His fight with Ijazz Butt was soo ridiculous, it made 0 sense and served no purpose.

Than his recaptaincy in 2016 world t20 was itself a big joke.
 
Major said:
naa Afridi himself acted as a fool and there were too many media leaks by him.

The ball tempering, the fight he picked up with Ijazz Butt. Than in 2015 he tried to sabotage Misbah's captaincy. His fight with Ijazz Butt was soo ridiculous, it made 0 sense and served no purpose.

Than his recaptaincy in 2016 world t20 was itself a big joke.
Click to expand...
We did quite well in ODI WC. Got to semis and topped the group.
 
DeadlyVenom said:
We did quite well in ODI WC. Got to semis and topped the group.
Click to expand...
Fair enough, but than the reason why we lost the semis was cause the anchoring till the 40th over and than attacking after the 40th over (due to the last PP) was also his strategy. He had used this strategy in the NZ series that took place before the world cup.
 
JaDed said:
Yeah last test series win for PCT in England is 1996.. 20 years before that.
Might as well send this to them or give them suggestion
Click to expand...
That's why extra prompts are needed for LLMs but i wanted to avoid any of my personal bias in the language of the prompt.

In 2016, Pakistan did not win the Test series in England; the four-match Test series ended 2–2.


Here’s a quick correction with a bit more context:



✅​


  • Pakistan toured England for a 4-match Test series.
  • Memorable start: Pakistan won the 1st Test at Lord’s, celebrated with that iconic push-up salute after Yasir Shah’s 10-wicket haul.
  • England bounced back to go 2–1 up in the series.
  • Pakistan leveled it 2–2 with a win at The Oval, thanks to centuries from Younis Khan and a solid team effort.
  • This draw, combined with other results, helped Pakistan reach No. 1 in the ICC Test rankings for a brief time — a major achievement under Misbah-ul-Haq.

Lol, push-up salute finds mention :P
 
Aang_The_last_airbender said:
That's why extra prompts are needed for LLMs but i wanted to avoid any of my personal bias in the language of the prompt.

In 2016, Pakistan did not win the Test series in England; the four-match Test series ended 2–2.


Here’s a quick correction with a bit more context:



✅​


  • Pakistan toured England for a 4-match Test series.
  • Memorable start: Pakistan won the 1st Test at Lord’s, celebrated with that iconic push-up salute after Yasir Shah’s 10-wicket haul.
  • England bounced back to go 2–1 up in the series.
  • Pakistan leveled it 2–2 with a win at The Oval, thanks to centuries from Younis Khan and a solid team effort.
  • This draw, combined with other results, helped Pakistan reach No. 1 in the ICC Test rankings for a brief time — a major achievement under Misbah-ul-Haq.

Lol, push-up salute finds mention :P
Click to expand...
I do the same when I do Healthcare standard specific coding, when it hallucinates or does a mistake I ask it to retry based on the error and it does correct itself.
 
Major said:
This is why Misbah was added to the Pakistani hall of fame and won the icc spirit of cricket award aswell.
Click to expand...
Oooooo bhai buss kr! Misbah replacing Mickey was a downfall for Pakistan.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
daytrader said:
Duniya maanti hai except a few key board warriors
Click to expand...
1. Killed Natural Aggression:


Misbah’s ultra-defensive and risk-averse style clashed with Pakistan’s natural brand of cricket — flamboyant, aggressive, and fearless. Under his leadership, players were encouraged to “play safe,” which dulled the attacking instinct that once made Pakistan unpredictable and dangerous.


2. “TukTuk” Mindset:


His slow batting, especially during crucial middle overs in ODIs, often cost Pakistan momentum. The infamous semi-final of the 2011 World Cup against India is a glaring example — Misbah’s painfully slow innings (56 off 76) was seen by many as a major reason for the loss.


3. Set a Bad Template:


His style became the benchmark for future selections and strategies. Players who could rotate strike quickly or go big were often sidelined in favor of more “disciplined” batsmen who played slowly — even in T20s and ODIs.


4. Poor Talent Utilization:


Talented, aggressive players like Umar Akmal, Ahmed Shehzad, and others were never given the right backing. Instead, Misbah preferred conservative cricketers who fit his slow, steady mold — stifling the growth of game-changers.


5. Lost the Fear Factor:


Under Misbah, Pakistan became a team that played not to lose, rather than to win. Opponents no longer feared the unpredictable flair of Pakistan; they knew the team would play cautiously and could be squeezed under pressure.


6. Stalled White-Ball Progress:


While the rest of the world embraced modern ODI and T20 approaches — power-hitting, aggressive chases, fearless batting — Pakistan lagged behind under Misbah’s captaincy and later his coaching. His conservative influence lingered long after he left.


7. Defensive Captaincy:


Field placements, bowling changes, and overall mindset often lacked imagination. He was reactive rather than proactive — waiting for mistakes rather than forcing them
 
Mohraheem said:
1. Killed Natural Aggression:


Misbah’s ultra-defensive and risk-averse style clashed with Pakistan’s natural brand of cricket — flamboyant, aggressive, and fearless. Under his leadership, players were encouraged to “play safe,” which dulled the attacking instinct that once made Pakistan unpredictable and dangerous.


2. “TukTuk” Mindset:


His slow batting, especially during crucial middle overs in ODIs, often cost Pakistan momentum. The infamous semi-final of the 2011 World Cup against India is a glaring example — Misbah’s painfully slow innings (56 off 76) was seen by many as a major reason for the loss.


3. Set a Bad Template:


His style became the benchmark for future selections and strategies. Players who could rotate strike quickly or go big were often sidelined in favor of more “disciplined” batsmen who played slowly — even in T20s and ODIs.


4. Poor Talent Utilization:


Talented, aggressive players like Umar Akmal, Ahmed Shehzad, and others were never given the right backing. Instead, Misbah preferred conservative cricketers who fit his slow, steady mold — stifling the growth of game-changers.


5. Lost the Fear Factor:


Under Misbah, Pakistan became a team that played not to lose, rather than to win. Opponents no longer feared the unpredictable flair of Pakistan; they knew the team would play cautiously and could be squeezed under pressure.


6. Stalled White-Ball Progress:


While the rest of the world embraced modern ODI and T20 approaches — power-hitting, aggressive chases, fearless batting — Pakistan lagged behind under Misbah’s captaincy and later his coaching. His conservative influence lingered long after he left.


7. Defensive Captaincy:


Field placements, bowling changes, and overall mindset often lacked imagination. He was reactive rather than proactive — waiting for mistakes rather than forcing them
Click to expand...

Great find. Now this is interesting. The ones I want to highlight here are the following:

His slow batting, especially during crucial middle overs in ODIs, often cost Pakistan momentum. The infamous semi-final of the 2011 World Cup against India is a glaring example — Misbah’s painfully slow innings (56 off 76) was seen by many as a major reason for the loss.
Click to expand...

I watched every ball of this game. Misbah only began to show intent after he reached 50. One could argue this innings gave birth to stat padding and prioritising milestones over triumph of the team. This set a terrible precedent for Pakistan cricket, as this was something we've witnessed in recent years with RizBar, which was an opening combo that Misbah came up with himself.

His style became the benchmark for future selections and strategies. Players who could rotate strike quickly or go big were often sidelined in favor of more “disciplined” batsmen who played slowly — even in T20s and ODIs.
Click to expand...

His risk averse approach set Pakistan back in an era where white ball cricket was evolving quickly during the 2010s. His archaic cricketing mind hampered Pakistan's progression and is one of the major reasons why they are so far behind the curve.

Misbah preferred conservative cricketers who fit his slow, steady mold — stifling the growth of game-changers.
Click to expand...

Sums up his lack of awareness and poor cricketing IQ.

Under Misbah, Pakistan became a team that played not to lose, rather than to win. Opponents no longer feared the unpredictable flair of Pakistan; they knew the team would play cautiously and could be squeezed under pressure.
Click to expand...

He certainly turned the Pakistan team into a bunch of timid kittens.

Stalled White-Ball Progress:

While the rest of the world embraced modern ODI and T20 approaches — power-hitting, aggressive chases, fearless batting — Pakistan lagged behind under Misbah’s captaincy and later his coaching. His conservative influence lingered long after he left.
Click to expand...

Barring the win against South Africa, Pakistan were toothless in the 2015 World Cup. If it was not for Wahab Riaz's heroics with bat and ball, the team would have got beaten by Zimbabwe, which would not have been the first under Misbah.

The outcome of the 2013 CT says it all about Misbah's white ball acumen. Pakistan lost all their games. Once we got rid of him, there was a complete contrast in fortunes:

2013 CT
Host: England
With Misbah as captain
Outcome: Lost all matches including a game against India.

2017 CT
Host: England
Without Misbah as captain
Outcome: Brought the CT home after beating India in the final by 180 runs

This question goes out to all Misbah fans, why the contrast in fortunes?

Defensive Captaincy:

Field placements, bowling changes, and overall mindset often lacked imagination. He was reactive rather than proactive — waiting for mistakes rather than forcing them
Click to expand...

Who could forget the 2016/17 Australia tour? Bowled Yasir Shah to the ground with virtually all the fielders on the leg-side. Channel 9's commentators were ridiculing him because they were in disbelief with how bad his captaincy his way.

Ian Chappell didn't hold back and called Misbah "horrible" and mentioned that Pakistan should have sacked him as captain prior to the last test at the SCG.

The only point I would add to this list is the cake cutting, which we all know is remnant of the Misbah era. It brought a small team mentality vibe about the side. You cannot be cutting cakes for every hundred and 5fer, like he did for Asad Shafiq after that ton he scored in Brisbane in what was a losing contest.
 
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