[EXCLUSIVE] "Pakistan's ODI approach is stuck in the past": David Lloyd

[Cricket Warrior]

In our latest exclusive interview, David Lloyd, the legendary cricket commentator and former England coach, shares his candid and insightful views on the current state of Pakistan cricket, England's ODI struggles, and the challenges facing modern-day cricket. Known for his sharp analysis, wit, and deep understanding of the game, Bumble offers a fresh perspective on how Pakistan can improve their ODI approach and what lessons can be learned from England's recent failures.

Main topics covered in this interview:

Pakistan's ODI Struggles: Lloyd believes Pakistan plays in a one-dimensional manner, often stuck in "gear 3," lacking adaptability and acceleration in their innings.

England & Pakistan’s ODI Approach: Both teams are not playing 50-over cricket the “right way”, failing to balance aggression with smart game management.

Building a Solid ODI Strategy: He emphasized the importance of retaining wickets, pacing the innings well, and making better strategic decisions.

Champions Trophy Concerns: Lloyd criticized the tournament’s scheduling and organization, calling it a "farcical arrangement" that hampers teams' preparations.

Need for Dynamic, Selfless Players: Pakistan needs more proactive, team-oriented players who can adjust to match situations rather than playing for personal milestones.

Neglect of First-Class Cricket: The decline of domestic cricket is affecting player development, making it harder to produce high-quality international cricketers.

Passion & Strategy for Revival: While passion drives Pakistan cricket, Lloyd stressed the need for a structured, long-term plan to restore the team’s former glory.

Watch the full interview here:

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[Usman Chadda]

What approach? There is no approach, there is just a bunch of batsmen hoping to score enough runs to either keep their place in the team or to keep their fanbases happy on social media.

These idiots have no strategy nor the skill to even think about an approach.

Your ‘star’ batsman is a bonafide stats-padder who is now entirely shameless and conning the nation without even hiding it anymore.

 

[batandballbattle]

3rd gear is generous, it's more like being stuck in first gear spinning our wheels endlessly in heavy snow

 

[Savak]

Pakistani team and players are over rated to the core and very lucky to be playing in a country where nepotism, corruption is rife and where you can keep getting away with mediocrity and even rewarded for it. Outside Pakistan, Pakistani players in reality are in very low demand

 

[Markhor]

Pakistan are years away from competing with the top teams in all formats forget beating them. Everyone knows what the solutions are:

- Tougher standard of domestic cricket on a variety of wickets featuring a max of 8 elite teams
- Academies in every major city with properly vetted coaches working to a standard curriculum
- Transparent selection processes with a clear philosophy
- A stable, professional administration who reinvest the board's profits back into cricket not on low yield vanity projects

Instead we have the opposite for every single point, and we wonder why our cricket has collapsed.

 

[Usman Chadda]

Pakistan are years away from competing with the top teams in all formats forget beating them. Everyone knows what the solutions are:

- Tougher standard of domestic cricket on a variety of wickets featuring a max of 8 elite teams
- Academies in every major city with properly vetted coaches working to a standard curriculum
- Transparent selection processes with a clear philosophy
- A stable, professional administration who reinvest the board's profits back into cricket not on low yield vanity projects

Instead we have the opposite for every single point, and we wonder why our cricket has collapsed.

I think along with those four very important points, the mindset has to change too.

First things first, we need to prepare a team at the international level that entertains the fans. Their own fans are tuning out due to the pathetic nature of our cricket, where batters are playing for their spots and bowlers are just running in without any thought process hoping for divine intervention on every delivery.

We cannot hope to be consistent in the next ten years even, with our system absolutely in the state it is right now.

The immediate short term fix should be to get eleven players on the field who are fixated on team goals and who have the urge to entertain their fans.

I am really tired of this ‘win ya learn’ monkey business.

 

[raj_milan]

Pakistan's cricketing structure is based on flawed principles and myths considered as facts. There's an obsession with fast bowling and pace, yet little focus on other crucial aspects like fielding or batting. In modern cricket, whether in limited-overs formats or Tests, success is impossible without a strong batting lineup, fielders of caliber and besides a decent bowling attack.

The belief that Pakistan cricket talent is superior exists only in the minds of delusional fans.

Having grown up on exaggerated tales of their cricketers' skills, many fans tend to overrate and overhype players. Comparisons like Akmal vs Kohli or Faheem vs Pandya are perfect examples of this misplaced narrative.

While Pakistan was fortunate to discover talents like Akram /Waqar/ Saqlain from street games, those players were more the result of luck than the outcome of a structured talent scouting system or a process-driven selection or a proper fitness training approach, that reliably produces international level players for other countries. When players show even little glimpses of the talent once possessed by Wasim or Waqar, they are often viewed as the natural heirs with even greater skills, when in reality, such accidental talent discoveries happen only once in a blue moon.

In reality, players like Prithvi Shaw, Rajat Patidar, or Karun Nair—who are often not even in to the reserves of the Indian team—would likely have been superstar batters for Pakistan had they held a Pakistani passport.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Strike rotation is always the key. It is not a rocket science as Bumble says. If only six hitting is more important West indies would be playing ODIs. In 2023 world cup they were not even participating.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Indeed he is.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1899352007284035769

 

[Hellion]

Approach is determined by talent . Not the other way around

 

[Sachin fan]

Strike rotation is always the key. It is not a rocket science as Bumble says. If only six hitting is more important West indies would be playing ODIs. In 2023 world cup they were not even participating.

West Indies have some of the biggest tuk tuk merchants my dude. If they had consistent six hitters they would have qualified.

 

[RyanRyan10]

@RizwanT20Champ what's your take?

 

[Shoaib Akhtar 100 MPH]

The biggest problem are the interference of the fraud's that are occupying the country and the cricket board.

Things will never change until this core issue is addressed.

We lost international calibre coaches like Kirsten and Dizzy due to interference and outside influence.

A vicious cycle that needs to be broken for the betterment of everyone in the country.

 

[Muhammad Saad]

The intent automatically comes when you are timing 8 out of 10 deliveries with the middle of the bat and you know that there are 5 other guys in the hut who can middle the ball 70-80% of the time, these two things makes your intent positive and you go all out attack but if you know that only you and one another guy can time the ball 80% then you will start worrying and can never play positive cricket , this is the harsh reality of Babar and Rizwan as they know other batters can’t even middle the ball at 50% success rate.

 

[Muhammad Saad]

Just look for batters in this t20 tournament who can play aggressive shot and consistently time it with the middle off the bat then the intent will automatically change for the entire team.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Pakistan can't come out from this vicious cycle until they select players on merit and give them an extended run.