Two fixes needed in Pakistan cricket:
1. Bringing an end to the seniority culture
2. Changing the timid, soft, small team mentality of this side
Until the heart of all decisions are on the basis of meritocracy which finally exceeds the toxic seniority culture in Pakistan cricket, the turmoil will be a prolonged one.
We have a 45 year old about to be picked up by a PSL franchise. A 38 year old with the worst record of an Asian batsman batting outside Asia opening the batting. A 37-38 year old number 5 batsman in ODIs who can't play pace to save his life. On paper a 31 year old captain who looks and has the physical capability of 41 year old Karachi Street Cricketer.
We should learn from a limited resourced cricket nation like NZ who have made the most of what they have and are undoubtedly make the best use of research and analytics than any other team.
All their selections are on merit and they know how to think from a critical perspective even when things are going well for e.g Axing Ross Taylor as captain because of his quiet demeanour. Now with Pakistan and fans alike this was considered to be unthinkable with Misbah after the embarrassment of drawing a series in Zimbabwe.
The other major aspect along with the seniority culture is changing the culture of Pakistan cricket. For years now I've seen an obedient, yes men type of culture but no one wants to lead by example and lead from the front. Even our best players like Babar, Azhar Ali, Shafiq and etc shy away from responsibility when they need to impose their presence. If we cast our minds back to the 2016 ODI series in England, Athers and Nasser described the ODI side as a "bunch of timid kittens". No opposition from the top 6 sides in the right frame of mind will be in awe or afraid of such a team when it showcases such mental frailties.
The players are mostly bland and boring, just like their cricket they lack that swagger - you may wonder what does this have to do with cricket? Well if you see Pakistan fans around the world they are becoming more interested in football and combat sports because they don't find any inspiration from the likes of Sarfraz, Misbah, Shafiq, Azhar Ali and etc. Even the likes of Ijaz Ahmed (let alone Wasim, Waqar, Shoaib Akhtar and etc) were far more charismatic and exciting to watch. I have Shaheen can reverse this trend but it is one player.
Also in relation to this we see the side time and time again showcase to the world what a small team mentality it has. I've seen some outrageous OTT celebrations of wickets in meaningless T20I bilaterals and in ODIs against such poor opposition even against tail enders. I mean is this the benchmark for satisfaction?
Truth of the matter this all began to become more prominent once Misbah was captain. He deserves full credit for uplifting Pakistan's reputation but by 2013 he was past his sell by date. His influence has turned the players soft, timid and one of a small team mentality. Cutting cake after every ton or 5fer epitomises this really.
