The belief that Pakistan cricket is heading in the right direction is a myth.
The Champions Trophy success (won't use the buzzword here) was a one-off. It was an isolated success much like West Indies' Champions Trophy triumph in 2004 or England winning the World T20 in 2010.
We did not build towards it and neither have we managed to build on it. We entered the tournament as a struggling side and we left the tournament as a struggling side, who happened to win three successive games (we are better than Sri Lanka, hence three and not four) against three superior sides.
All the talk of a new era etc. was squashed when New Zealand demolished us 5-0. It was a much needed reality check because some of our heads were in the clouds, expecting the Champions Trophy winners to beat any ODI team anywhere except for maybe England in England, as if we were the best ODI team in the world.
Teams like India, England, Australia and South Africa will still comfortably beat us in an ODI series. So what improvement are we talking about? Perhaps we can agree that the likes of Shadab, Hasan, Fakhar etc. are better than the players they have replaced, but the improvement is not considerable enough to change our fortunes against the top teams.
Nonetheless, the proof lies in the pudding. Post-Champions Trophy, we miserably failed our only major test in ODIs. A look at the pre-series predictions thread for the New Zealand series shows how much our fans overrated this mediocre team, just because they got lucky in three games against better opposition.
As far as Test cricket is concerned, our batting is utter rubbish. Comfortably one of the worst batting units in the world, and I won't look too much into the 1-1 draw in England because (a) England are very short on confidence and form at the moment and (b) we appear to be their bogey team.
Even in 2010, when we toured England with one of our weakest batting lineups ever, we nearly managed a 2-2 draw before a once in a lifetime knock by Broad and the spot-fixing changed the course of the Lord's Test.
Beating England is not a big deal these days. They have 5-6 top players but it is not working for them at the moment; they probably need new direction and leadership.
As far as the T20 ranking is concerned, it is a complete farce. Our flimsy number one ranking is built on bashing weak teams. Since 2016, we have only played 4 T20 matches against credible opposition (1 England, 3 New Zealand).
Granted that we won four of those games, but unless we get to play a considerable number of games against the likes of India, Australia, South Africa and England, we cannot say that we deserve to be ranked number one in T20s.
If there is a WT20 today, how confident are people that we will be heavy favorites to lift the trophy?
Those who are comparing the records of Pakistan and Bangladesh over the last two-three years to prove that Pakistan is going north and Bangladesh are going south are missing the point - it doesn't tell the story.
I prefer to look at the bigger picture because we cannot directly compare the results of an established team with 65 years of cricketing heritage to an emerging side that has been around for less than 20 years.
Is the gap between Pakistan and Bangladesh today as big as the gap between Pakistan and Bangladesh 10-15 years ago? Clearly no. Some people would also argue that Bangladesh has closed the gap between themselves and all teams, but the difference between us and the other teams is that the last 10-15 has been one of our darkest periods in history.
Apart from Younis, there is a not single Pakistani cricket who is a certainty for an all-time Pakistan XI, having made his debut in this millennium. Pakistan cricket is heading towards the dumps and a few wins here and there are not enough to arrest our decline.
Bangladesh have a better structure in place and there is no reason why they cannot surpass Pakistan in due time. As far as Afghanistan is concerned, they have a long, long way to go yet, but they too can surpass Pakistan as long as they have India's support.
India is the powerhouse of cricket and hold the game by the balls. They dictate where the game is heading, and with access to their world class facilities and the IPL, Afghanistan can rise rapidly.
<b>The belief that Pakistan cricket is heading in the right direction is a myth.
The Champions Trophy success (won't use the buzzword here) was a one-off. It was an isolated success much like West Indies' Champions Trophy triumph in 2004 or England winning the World T20 in 2010. </b>
WI won it again in 2016. They are a very good T20 team. They beat India left and right in T20s. Their T20 players are most wanted in leagues all over the world. England have transformed their limited overs cricket in this decade. They are ranked #1 in ODIs and their limited overs team is full of destructive players. Those victories were no isolated instances as you think.
<b>We did not build towards it and neither have we managed to build on it. We entered the tournament as a struggling side and we left the tournament as a struggling side, who happened to win three successive games (we are better than Sri Lanka, hence three and not four) against three superior sides.
All the talk of a new era etc. was squashed when New Zealand demolished us 5-0. It was a much needed reality check because some of our heads were in the clouds, expecting the Champions Trophy winners to beat any ODI team anywhere except for maybe England in England, as if we were the best ODI team in the world. </b>
Same SL who chased down 300+ target against India in their previous match for the loss of 1 wicket and that too was a run-out? We did not leave the tournament as a struggling side. We absolutely manhandled England and India, the two best teams of the tournament. We went on to whitewash SL which was not likely an year ago no matter how weak they are. We did lose to NZ but NZ in NZ is a tough team to beat and are comfortably better than us. We are not there but we are getting there with the coming of better new players like Fakhar, Babar, Haris, Talat, Shadab, Hassan, etc.
<b>Teams like India, England, Australia and South Africa will still comfortably beat us in an ODI series. So what improvement are we talking about? Perhaps we can agree that the likes of Shadab, Hasan, Fakhar etc. are better than the players they have replaced, but the improvement is not considerable enough to change our fortunes against the top teams.
Nonetheless, the proof lies in the pudding. Post-Champions Trophy, we miserably failed our only major test in ODIs. A look at the pre-series predictions thread for the New Zealand series shows how much our fans overrated this mediocre team, just because they got lucky in three games against better opposition. </b>
I do not think anybody claims that Pakistan are better than the teams you mentioned. You are just putting words in other people's mouths. What most of the posters say is that our limited overs cricket has definitely improved. We will not magically start beating them overnight but we are moving in the right direction. We are getting rid of TTFs. We are posting better totals as opposed to those 240-250 scores under Misbah and Afridi.
<b>As far as Test cricket is concerned, our batting is utter rubbish. Comfortably one of the worst batting units in the world, and I won't look too much into the 1-1 draw in England because (a) England are very short on confidence and form at the moment and (b) we appear to be their bogey team. </b>
Happens to all teams. Test team is going through a rough phase because two experienced and performing batsmen recently retired. At least be consistent. Before the series you claimed that England were far better "comfortably" in those conditions. After Lord's test, you switched to "this is the worst English team I have seen since the 90s". After Headingly test, they have a strong core but they were short on confidence. You also fail to give benefit of doubt to Pakistan that they drew the series without their only match winner bowler, Yasir. Babar was not available in the second test.
<b>Even in 2010, when we toured England with one of our weakest batting lineups ever, we nearly managed a 2-2 draw before a once in a lifetime knock by Broad and the spot-fixing changed the course of the Lord's Test.
Beating England is not a big deal these days. They have 5-6 top players but it is not working for them at the moment; they probably need new direction and leadership. </b>
When India beat England, I hope it will not become a big deal all of a sudden. Why is it Pakistan's problem, anyways? They can only perform against the English team that was presented to them. Your argument has no leg because England were doing far better under Cook and Pakistan still drew a series. BTW, I noticed how cleverly you jumped from 2010 to 2018 skipping 2016.
<b>As far as the T20 ranking is concerned, it is a complete farce. Our flimsy number one ranking is built on bashing weak teams. Since 2016, we have only played 4 T20 matches against credible opposition (1 England, 3 New Zealand).
Granted that we won four of those games, but unless we get to play a considerable number of games against the likes of India, Australia, South Africa and England, we cannot say that we deserve to be ranked number one in T20s.
If there is a WT20 today, how confident are people that we will be heavy favorites to lift the trophy? </b>
You can only perform against what is in front of you. We dominated weaker teams and we beat two very strong teams at their home. To be #1, you do not have to beat every team in the world in all possible conditions. That's just ridiculous and no team barring an ATG WI or Aussie team will be able to do it. We will be one of the favorites to lift the trophy if there is a WT20 today because our T20 bowling is absolutely top class and our batting has consistently posted 170+ scores in T20s.
<b>Those who are comparing the records of Pakistan and Bangladesh over the last two-three years to prove that Pakistan is going north and Bangladesh are going south are missing the point - it doesn't tell the story.
I prefer to look at the bigger picture because we cannot directly compare the results of an established team with 65 years of cricketing heritage to an emerging side that has been around for less than 20 years.
Is the gap between Pakistan and Bangladesh today as big as the gap between Pakistan and Bangladesh 10-15 years ago? Clearly no. Some people would also argue that Bangladesh has closed the gap between themselves and all teams, but the difference between us and the other teams is that the last 10-15 has been one of our darkest periods in history. </b>
With time, minnow teams will enter into non-minnow territory. What is the accomplishment in that? That is just natural progression. Why just Pakistan? Bangladesh have closed the gap with other teams too using the same logic. They have beaten NZ several times. It does not mean NZ cricket is going South. They are still to win a tournament (even at home in any format) or at least draw a test overseas. The only time they had a chance in SA, their best player chickened out and they gave the most one sided away tour in recent history.
<b>Apart from Younis, there is a not single Pakistani cricket who is a certainty for an all-time Pakistan XI, having made his debut in this millennium. Pakistan cricket is heading towards the dumps and a few wins here and there are not enough to arrest our decline. </b>
90s team had several cricketers who will walk into all time Pakistan XI. How much did they accomplish as a team? They lost to Zimbabwe at home! With a mediocre team, Pakistan have managed to win WT20, CT, an ODI series each in India and SA. They reached #1 test ranking. Besides, Yasir has a valid shot to make all time Pakistan XI. How many Australian players who debuted in this century will make their all time team? This is a weak argument. All you need is a balanced team in which every individual contributes.
<b>Bangladesh have a better structure in place and there is no reason why they cannot surpass Pakistan in due time. As far as Afghanistan is concerned, they have a long, long way to go yet, but they too can surpass Pakistan as long as they have India's support.
India is the powerhouse of cricket and hold the game by the balls. They dictate where the game is heading, and with access to their world class facilities and the IPL, Afghanistan can rise rapidly.</b>
England have the best facilities and infrastrucure available. They must be dominating the game. Do they? SA have huge problems going on yet they still beat both Australia and India. Facilities alone do not make you a world class team. When Bangladesh surpass Pakistan then write an essay on it. For now, they are behind and so are Afghanistan.
Forget Bangladesh and Afghanistan. With such a world class team, facilities, IPL, etc. why have India failed to win 2015 WC, WT20, CT, and SA test series? Why have they failed to produce a single world class fast bowler since IPL's inception who can walk into their all time India XI? How many players who are product of IPL will walk into all time Indian XI?
