Beyond the Boundary: Lost in the Shadows: Pakistan's Search for Cricketing Identity (by Mamoon)

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Pained by the steep decline in fortunes of Pakistan cricket, our esteemed member @Mamoon pinpoints the main flaws with our strategy and suggests a way out of the current malaise afflicting our game.


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In 2016-2017, in the space of 12 months, Pakistan achieved the number one ranking in Test cricket and won the ICC Champions Trophy - inflicting the biggest ever ICC tournament final defeat over arch-rivals India. However, 8 years later, Pakistan cricket has reached its abyss. Pakistan cricket has not been shy of despair & disappointment, but September 2024, fresh off a historic and humiliating whitewash by Bangladesh at home, Pakistan cricket finds itself in its darkest hour that has left Pakistan's cricketing identity in tatters.

How did a team that managed to win only 19 out of its 142 Test matches ended up outplaying and out-thinking Pakistan in Pakistan? Let's take nothing away from Bangladesh's success, but this series defeat said more about where Pakistan cricket is heading rather than a watershed moment for Bangladesh cricket.

A lot can be said about what the series, and sequence of events that led Pakistan to this stage - from years of red ball neglect, to poor pitches, to chaotic PCB power struggles, Pakistan cricket has let itself down in almost every aspect that matters. However, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. There are always ways to make things better as long as PCB demonstrates the capacity to recognize the root-cause of the problems.


A captain who does not belong at this level

Shan Masood Test career paints a pitiful picture - A Test average of 28 after 66 innings, notwithstanding the fact that he is 34 years old, means that he would struggle to get into any Test team in the world, let alone be in contention for captaincy. His poor Test record is not just a backlog of a bad start - it is a true reflection of his ceiling as a player at this level.

Since 2019, he averages 30 in 22 Tests. As captain, he averages 28 in 5 Tests. No matter how you slice his career, it represents a staggering failure and a player who has made it clear year after year and season after season that he does not belong at this level. The first immediate, corrective measure that needs to be taken (even before the England Test series starting next month) is to sack him from captaincy and remove him from the team altogether. A team like Pakistan that is already scraping the bottom of the barrel for batting talent simply cannot afford to carry a dead-weight that does not deserve to be in the playing XI on cricketing merit.


Multiple coaches, multiple captains

Multiple coaches and multiple captains do not work for a fragment dressing room like Pakistan where there is always a fine line between a united and disjointed dressing room. Shan Masood, Babar Azam, Gary Kirsten, Jason Gillespie - there are too many people in leadership roles and this is likely to backfire especially when it comes to players who are going to play across multiple formats. Pakistan needs to identify one captain and one coach who will be responsible for all three formats.


Pitches that have killed Pakistan's identity

Pakistan's 7-year success, or ability to prevent defeats, was built around producing pitches that provided assistance for spinners and negative the pace bowling prowess of non-Asian teams like Australia, England, South Africa and New Zealand. None of these teams were able to win a series away vs Pakistan from 2010 to 2017 because they could not cope with the slow pitches. However, since restoring Test cricket in Pakistan, PCB has failed to replicate the type of pitches that brought Pakistan success in the UAE.

The flat, dead pitches produced in Pakistan that do not produce enough turn even in the last couple of days has made Pakistan one of the easiest touring venues for any opposition who can not only score enough runs but also use its fast-bowling resources to dismantle Pakistan's fragile batting unit. It would be practically impossible for Pakistan to compete with England in the upcoming Test series if the pitches continue to be the ones that Pakistan have produced in the last couple of years. Pakistan's only chance of success is to produce turning wickets and pick two specialist spinners to subdue England's aggressive batsmen. Pakistan cricket has lost its identity because of the nature of pitches and the team organization that do not reflect a clear mindset and attitude.


The next all-format captain?

The sacking of Babar Azam, the appointment of Shaheen as T20I captain only to remove him after one series and right before a World Cup has caused severe damage to the dressing room. In addition, the keys to the Test team were handed over to a captain who is not even good enough to play Test cricket PCB needs to learn from this experience and identify an all-format captain who is not only an automatic choice in all formats but also a strong performer who can lead from the front.

Whilst both Babar and Shaheen fit the bill and will remain Pakistan's prominent performers for years to come, both are currently struggling for form and have been part of an ugly power struggle. Therefore, the default choice for Pakistan's all-format captaincy right now is Mohammad Rizwan, who continues to consistently perform in spite of being subject to unwarranted criticism at times. Rizwan is not without his shortcomings, but he has made it clear that he is by far the best WK batsman in the country right now and the most deserving and least risky option for all-format captaincy right now.

Pakistan cricket's problems go beyond what's happening at the top level because a lot of its problems are deep-rooted into the culture and psyche of Pakistan cricket, but that is for another day and another time. At the top level, over the next 12 months, Pakistan will be back as a fairly competitive team as long as it does the basics right, i.e. the immediate removal of Shan Masood from the team, going for one captain/coach combination across formats and develop spin-friendly pitches for home Test matches.
 
I completely agree with this analysis from Mamoon. Very well said, brother.

Pakistan cricket is in a dire state and these immediate changes, especially regarding Masood's removal, captaincy, and pitch strategy, are essential to pull ourselves out of this mess and restore our pride.
 
Even about Riz as Captain?
Naw, the situation is so bad that rizzu is the obvious next choice. Their isnt any one else.

Rizzu will mark the death of cricket.

Read my posts from months ago, Before creation comes destruction and it's time to destroy
 
Your post mirror exactly the points I have been putting forward.

Rizwan has performed well despite the unwarranted criticism of toxic fans and media whereas Babar has not been able to absorb this pressure.
Rizwan must be made the captain of the 3 formats immediately.

And if Riz also fails to bring improvements then Saifi bhai's return will be justified
 
All well and good. But the most important thing in Test cricket is to have a bowling attack capable of taking 20 cheap wickets.

Since Yasir Shah's decline , the bowling standards have been pitiful.

On recent evidence, it looks weaker than BD/SL/WI attacks.
 
Yes. Rizwan is the only consistent performer in the Team right now and deserves Captaincy
 
Your post mirror exactly the points I have been putting forward.

Rizwan has performed well despite the unwarranted criticism of toxic fans and media whereas Babar has not been able to absorb this pressure.
Rizwan must be made the captain of the 3 formats immediately.

And if Riz also fails to bring improvements then Saifi bhai's return will be justified
Rizwan can be all format captain but

Riz will fail, that's the problem, the issue is that the cricketing structure has been damaged at grassroot level.

Pakistan was a uae fortress for 3 reasons.

A) The players loved to play spin and were masters at it especially YK.

B) UAE pitches nullified pace because the pitches in that era werengood enough to generate bounce or much seam at the time and excluding Asian teams, many sides like Australia or England weren't too accustomed to spin and heck even now they aren't as afghani spinners usually give em he'll. Beat Australia in 2024 and England in 2023 for said reason.

C) Their was actually interest in test cricket. Players like azhar, Asad, Misbah, YK, Shehzad, Sarfi love test significantly more then the whiteball format.

Now in the sarfi era it was opposite with many players like fakhar, Haris sohail, Imad, Hafeez, Malik enjoying the whiteball format more.

In the current era the players are clueless against spin and pace. A bit of turn bundles them and anything > 140kph gets them out as they don't have reactions.

What can rizzu realistically do? Or Sarfi? Or Babar?

The issue that ramiz, Wasim, Misbah, naqvi all created is something that'll take lifetimes to fix.

You're better off creating uae like pitches and creating a brand new team from Under 19 that'll consistently play for the next 20 years. It'll start slow and pakistan will be a minnow but slowly said players after 5 to 7 years when their 27 will get accustomed to the international style of play. And obviously you'll have to ensure and teach these players that International is priority, not psl or leagues. They can take part in leagues but under no circumstance is top scoring in leagues a criteria for selection.

Furthermore you'll need a competitive structure. If a player is better them you, them you are dropped, doesn't matter if you have form or no form, you are gone if theirs a better player. This will encourage players to be the best and continuing to improve knowing that their replaceable and their stardom can fade away overnight.

That's the only way to fix this mess. Not rizzu nor will going back to sarfi do a damn.

Misbah created the culture of doati yaari
Ramiz created the culture of stardom and overhype
Wasim Khan + Inzi + Misbah created the culture of nepotism
Naqvi nuked everything into oblivion.

It'll take 20 years to fix now.
 
Very good from Mamoon.

My only quibble would be regrading the captaincy — ultimately Rizwan should undoubtedly be the all-format captain of Pakistan. The only contender really.
But I think it may make sense to have a “holding pattern” with Shan or Sarfi for the next two Test series (Eng and then SA away) as they could be large losses — both Shan and Sarfi are dispensable and have no real role as players in the future.

Totally agree about the pitches — we have no home advantage and it produces such turgid cricket that turns every one off.

The challenges and failings of the PCB, being a microcosm of Pakistani governance and society as a whole, are probably beyond redemption.
 
Javed Afridi wants me to call Rizwan ‘mera Tiger’
Rizwan will be made captain bro, it's inevitable.

However 2027 will be his end, he doesn't have that Babar staying power or fame.
 
can you translate in English?
FYI: This is what it meant in English.

"From today, my 'TIGER' is Mohammad Rizwan, and as for the 'KING,' well, you already know who that is. I don't take anything from anyone's house, so don't tell me not to call him KING. Alright, go mind your own business, the whole of Pakistan is behind the KING."
 
Pakistan team will not improve unless it finds two quality spinners.
 
Good piece and I agree Rizwan should be given a run as the next captain atleast in longer formats
 
can you translate in English?
Sure thing bro.

From today, my 'TIGER' is Mohammad Rizwan, and you know who the 'KING' is. I don’t eat from someone else's house, so don’t tell me not to call him KING. Go on and do your own work; the whole of Pakistan is behind the KING
 
Good shout on Rizwan @Mamoon - in many senses the only choice but also a good choice, as an individual Rizwan embodies what Pakistan needs to do better - the basics. Be vocal, involved, fit, proactive and play the situation.

The sooner it happens the better, no need to wait - why wait? there is no advantage to keeping the current leadership. The basics are what all sound sporting setups are built on - they must be respected. Rizwan is our best bet.

We are nowhere near the stage of having distinct setups for different forms of cricket (or going down the route of 'match-ups'), the quality/depth of our player pool shows this. There is still some quality, and it needs to be used across all 3 formats not pidgeon-holed.

Basics, basics, basics...
 
A very thought provoking post but I find myself disagreeing with a lot of it.

I think seperate and distinct white ball and red ball cricket is the way forward for Pakistan. It allows each team to have its own identity and in an insecure environment like Pakistan players will know that their performances in one format won't rule them out in another ( this happened many times in the past) and will actually help maintain relationships with the individual coaches. Furthermore, I think we are almost at the point where many of our test players won't play every other format.

There is also no player that should be playing every match of every format which is what would be required

I also don't support the inclusion of Rizwan as captain. For the moment we should stick with Shan as test captain. Yes he is deeply mediocre but there is little upside to changing captaincy at the point. For me it makes sense to have a little bit of stability while change is enacted elsewhere. Give Gillespie until the end of the current home test cycle to see what is what with cricket in Pakistan before captaincy decisions are made.

The point about pitches is spot on.
 
A very good post.

Covers everything, except quality of pace attack, who can bowl well for an extended period. I think that one aspect is missing as well for Pakistan in recent years.

Also, you can keep some players for specific format. Nothing wrong with that.
 
Good accurate analysis - Mamoon bro.

but what about giving some solutions like increasing U-19 , U-21 and 'A' side tours or the lack of the same as some of the problems and contributory factors....
 
Anyone who posts constantly about player X vs player Y, should pause and look at this chart.
There can be no progress under any captain, and any available set of players, until this circus is resolved.
Riz vs Sarfi, Shan vs Riz, Babar vs whoever — all becomes totally irrelevant amongst this fiasco.

No wonder players play for themselves
 
Anyone who posts constantly about player X vs player Y, should pause and look at this chart.
There can be no progress under any captain, and any available set of players, until this circus is resolved.
Riz vs Sarfi, Shan vs Riz, Babar vs whoever — all becomes totally irrelevant amongst this fiasco.

No wonder players play for themselves

Agree with this assessment.

There seems to be an issue with the system itself. Changing captains and players may not do any good until real issues are resolved.
 
Shan Masood is the weakest link.

In a country like Pakistan, performances garner respect. You can be the most brilliant captain but if you are not the star performer of the team, the dressing room will always collude to bring you down as they won't ever respect you.

If you look at the most respected captains in Pakistan cricket, you would find that they were almost always the best player or a close second-best on the team. Just look at Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Misbah-ul-Haq. On the other hand, you have Salim Malik with the best captaincy record in Pakistan but he was conspired against and booted out. Partly because of politics but also because Salim Malik in the 90's wasn't the best player on the team. He was just average and nobody respects that. In England, players can get behind average players like Ollie Pope and Michael Vaughan but it doesn't work in India/Pakistan.

Misbah-ul-Haq is the best example of a captain having absolute control over the team by virtue of his own performances. Misbah's average prior to becoming captain was 33.6. Almost mirroring Shan Masood. However, once he became captain, in the next 11 innings, Misbah accumulated 632 runs at an average of 90 with 7 50s and 1 100. 8 scores of more than 50 in 11 innings. And he scored tough runs. Against the South Africans in UAE, NZ in NZ and WI in WI. That's how you instantly command respect.

Shan could've earned a lot of respect of his teammates if he scored with the same frequency as Misbah did, but couldn't.

In the current team, there are just 4 all-format players (Babar, Shaheen, Rizwan, Naseem). Babar and Shaheen are out of the picture. Naseem cannot be a captaincy candidate at all. He just looks clueless even while doing his basic job. That leaves only Rizwan by process of elimination. He also happens to be the most in-form of the players in the team. There is just no one else left to give the captaincy to than Rizwan. Saud Shakeel needs a couple of years with solid performances home and away to barge himself into contention. Until then Rizwan is the only choice.
 
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