[EXCLUSIVE] “We don’t let players mature”: Sohail Tanvir

[Ball Blazer]

In this exclusive interview, former Pakistan pacer Sohail Tanvir shares his candid thoughts on why Pakistan is struggling in T20 cricket, the flaws in the domestic system, and how short-term selection decisions have hurt player development. The 2009 T20 World Cup winner opens up on his experience as Pakistan U19 Chief Selector, the importance of red-ball cricket, and why the system needs stability and patience to rebuild.

Key revelations include:

System decline: "You will see the difference in the coming five years — that’s what’s happening now" – The new system dramatically reduced the number of domestic teams from over a thousand players to only 192. This resulted in the removal of hundreds of experienced players (those who had played 100 to 200 First-Class matches) who were over the age of 30.

⁠⁠Lack of experience: "When I started playing, I had seniors around me — they were there to guide me" – With the experienced players gone, the domestic system was left with only young players (19-24 years old) who lacked the necessary experience to learn from.

⁠⁠PSL hype problem: "A couple of good PSL games and everyone wants them in the Pakistan team!" – Players are often selected for the national team based on just a few good performances, mainly in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), or even just two to four domestic matches.

⁠Selector mindset: "If you make a decision, back your decision — stand firm on it" – Management lacks a strong, logical basis for their decisions They often bring a player in only to drop them in the next series due to pressure, or bring back a dropped player because of social media "noise"

⁠⁠Structural warning: "The real trouble started when we threw away our domestic equity" – Tanvir concluded by arguing that the players themselves are also making mistakes by quitting Red-Ball (First-Class) cricket.

⁠⁠Future direction: "If you want to play for a long time, you have to play four-day cricket" – On why Pakistan must revive red-ball focus.

Watch full interview with Saj here:

 

[Cricket Warrior]

⁠Selector mindset: "If you make a decision, back your decision — stand firm on it" – Management lacks a strong, logical basis for their decisions They often bring a player in only to drop them in the next series due to pressure, or bring back a dropped player because of social media "noise"

problem is that the selectors initial decisions always turn out to be wrong and on top of that they stick with them until it costs the team an entire series or tournament.... recent example is Mohammad Haris when it was clear he struggles to score on tricky surfaces but selectors still persisted with him throughout the Asia Cup and in the end it proved that Pakistan were playing with 10 players as Haris was playing a role of a brick nothing more than that.