[EXCLUSIVE] "Players are playing to survive, not for the team": Aamer Sohail

[The Bald Eagle]

In our latest exclusive interview, Aamer Sohail, former Pakistan captain, 1992 World Cup winner, and ex-chief selector, delivers a brutally honest critique of Pakistan cricket’s systemic collapse. With decades of experience on and off the field, Sohail dissects the root causes of the team’s decline and maps out urgent reforms.

Key topics include:

Why players and ex-cricketers are responsible: Aamer explained why this downfall has not been sudden and how everyone among the PCB hierarchy and former players are responsible too, “The blame is on us cricketers, nobody else”

PCB’s flawed imitation of Australia’s structure: Former Pakistan opener is quite vocal about PCB's flawed model and how he believes, “We were entrapped copying them.”

How negativity stifles performance: He explained how the system has bogged down in a vicious cycle of downfall and how is it adding extra pressure in the players,“Players are playing to survive, not for the team”

The death of club cricket and its utility: He delved in details to highlight its importance and described why its revival is “essential for Pakistan’s future.”

How modern priorities ruin fundamentals: He didn't mince words and highlighted the glaring errors in PCB's system and players' mentality, “Our emphasis is on sixes, not techniques”

India’s domestic success vs. Pakistan’s T20 obsession: He discussed the role of misplaced priorities in ruining the performance of Pakistan cricket team in recent times and offered the solution too.

Sohail’s radical solution to systemic rot: He called for an immediate human resource audit at the PCB and devised a systemic approach to addressing organizational dysfunction, “PCB must audit human resource immediately”

 

[Bewal Express]

In our latest exclusive interview, Aamer Sohail, former Pakistan captain, 1992 World Cup winner, and ex-chief selector, delivers a brutally honest critique of Pakistan cricket’s systemic collapse. With decades of experience on and off the field, Sohail dissects the root causes of the team’s decline and maps out urgent reforms.

Key topics include:

Why players and ex-cricketers are responsible: Aamer explained why this downfall has not been sudden and how everyone among the PCB hierarchy and former players are responsible too, “The blame is on us cricketers, nobody else”

PCB’s flawed imitation of Australia’s structure: Former Pakistan opener is quite vocal about PCB's flawed model and how he believes, “We were entrapped copying them.”

How negativity stifles performance: He explained how the system has bogged down in a vicious cycle of downfall and how is it adding extra pressure in the players,“Players are playing to survive, not for the team”

The death of club cricket and its utility: He delved in details to highlight its importance and described why its revival is “essential for Pakistan’s future.”

How modern priorities ruin fundamentals: He didn't mince words and highlighted the glaring errors in PCB's system and players' mentality, “Our emphasis is on sixes, not techniques”

India’s domestic success vs. Pakistan’s T20 obsession: He discussed the role of misplaced priorities in ruining the performance of Pakistan cricket team in recent times and offered the solution too.

Sohail’s radical solution to systemic rot: He called for an immediate human resource audit at the PCB and devised a systemic approach to addressing organizational dysfunction, “PCB must audit human resource immediately”

What domestic structure does he want. The PCB has out sourced the domestic game to the likes of Ghani Glass etc and it has Moeez Ghani playing FC cricket. Come Amir enough of the management speak, let's here concrete proposals.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Everyone is playing for survival now because PCB left no choice for these players. Look at their salaries in the domestic system. Who would want to waste time in cricket for few pennies. They would like to survive and get a central contract though. That is what they are playing for. No passion for nation anymore.

 

[Muhammad Saad]

wasting money on the stadium instead of the end product which is players is not a very wise move indeed.

 

[Asad T]

I agree with most of what Sohail says, except his idea about adding more teams in domestic cricket. The recent thread by @Markhor showcases this well. When we have too many teams, the quality of players falls remarkably. We have batters with skewed seasonal stats because you have 22-year olds with 4FC matches bowling, and getting dismantled by the likes of Saad Nasim etc. And suddenly, if you go by stats, Saad Nasim looks like Bradman in last years QeA Trophy

Have a couple of divisions and keep domestic competitive; that's how you find real talent.

M

Thread 'Pakistan's domestic structure is in shambles and contributing to our decline'

Mar 15, 2025

There seems to be a domestic competition starting every 5 minutes in Pakistan. After recent tournament disasters, the cricket establishment agree on one thing - more domestic cricket is necessary. However the quality, scheduling and structure of domestic cricket is shambolic.

1) Quality - After a period where FC teams were limited to 6-8, this year 18 teams competed in the QEA Trophy in 3 groups. While encouraging seeing youngsters like Azan Awais and Maaz Sadaqat top the batting chart, it's difficult gauging the quality of performance when the player base is dispersed so thinly...

• Markhor
• Replies: 11
• Forum: Cricket

• 

 

[ads101]

There’s understandable reasons for this. You fail in internationals you get dropped quickly. Unlikely to get a long run. Even if you perform in domestic again good chance you won’t be repicked as you’ll be a TTF.

If you don’t make it international cricket, you’re not financially secure. So they’re desperate.

Criticism of team and players is immense. So no confidence. Team is 6th/7th best in the world but when they don’t win a tournament it’s like the worlds ending. A bit ridiculous.

I even think the pressure and criticism likely feeds into anxiety which causes our athletes to neglect their diets. Though tbh this is still their responsibility.

Hard to completely fix this, but less overboard criticism and strive to keep confidence high, long runs for players, less chopping and changing, focus ok introducing 1 or 2 new players at a time, more PSL teams so more players are financially compensated. These measures would help.

 

[Muhammad Saad]

Don’t think Haris and Nawaz are selfish , Irfan, Samad and Khushdil are selfish though.

 

[jamie smith fan]

Dont think they are selfish,they are trying and will come good inshallah.
Just like hassan proved us wrong today,these 3 will also play well for team under the leadership of selfless captain agha.

Don’t think Haris and Nawaz are selfish , Irfan, Samad and Khushdil are selfish though.

 

[Sarmad]

I agree with most of what Sohail says, except his idea about adding more teams in domestic cricket. The recent thread by @Markhor showcases this well. When we have too many teams, the quality of players falls remarkably. We have batters with skewed seasonal stats because you have 22-year olds with 4FC matches bowling, and getting dismantled by the likes of Saad Nasim etc. And suddenly, if you go by stats, Saad Nasim looks like Bradman in last years QeA Trophy

Have a couple of divisions and keep domestic competitive; that's how you find real talent.

M

Thread 'Pakistan's domestic structure is in shambles and contributing to our decline'

Mar 15, 2025

There seems to be a domestic competition starting every 5 minutes in Pakistan. After recent tournament disasters, the cricket establishment agree on one thing - more domestic cricket is necessary. However the quality, scheduling and structure of domestic cricket is shambolic.

1) Quality - After a period where FC teams were limited to 6-8, this year 18 teams competed in the QEA Trophy in 3 groups. While encouraging seeing youngsters like Azan Awais and Maaz Sadaqat top the batting chart, it's difficult gauging the quality of performance when the player base is dispersed so thinly...

• Markhor
• Replies: 11
• Forum: Cricket

• 

More power to you. That's a very very valid point.

 

[Sarmad]

Dont think they are selfish,they are trying and will come good inshallah.
Just like hassan proved us wrong today,these 3 will also play well for team under the leadership of selfless captain agha.

These young kids are not selfish. Unfortunately our structure is such that it makes them selfish. Once Shadab and shaheen were our heroes but when they became stars, they began to play for their survival.
Bad patch is a common thing. Every player goes through it multiple times in his career, but our stars become selfish and play for their place instead of playing domestic cricket and gaining back the form

 

[Cryin Out Loud]

Because it was the same when he was playing too.

And there’s nothing wrong with it!

There is a famous saying in cricket that goes like this: the first fifty you make for your yourself and only the second for your team.

The problem with the Pakistan isn’t that players are playing to survive. That’s very natural.

The real issues have been documented elsewhere by posters such as @Rana

 

[BouncerGuy]

Quantity over quality is something I disagree with.

More teams do not help to get more talent. Quality is comprised in such cases. you would have mediocre players, playing domestic cricket for years without any hopes of making it to the national side.

Money leeching stuff this.

 

[Savak]

Quantity over quality is something I disagree with.

More teams do not help to get more talent. Quality is comprised in such cases. you would have mediocre players, playing domestic cricket for years without any hopes of making it to the national side.

Money leeching stuff this.

Sadly we tried the formula for reducing the teams and while it did improve the quality of the domestic tournaments, but it forced many players on the fringes to become unemployed, redundant and many players left Pakistan Cricket for abroad.

Also when the national team was faced with injuries for the 2023 England Series, New Zealand Series, Asia Cup and ODI WC in 2023, our domestic replacements were injured as well and end result was there were no replacements at all for the injured players which badly limited our options.

Therefore a country like Pakistan where Cricket is the only premier sport cannot afford to have less teams, the current existing first class structure makes sense where you have the maximum number of teams for the department tournaments, Quaid-e-Azam tournaments, National T20 Tournament, Pakistan Cup and then choose the best 200-250 performers in these tournaments to play in the Champions T20, ODI and 4 day tournaments and also to instruct the Academy coaches to work closely with these players, provide them further opportunities in U19 teams, Shaheen tours.

Sadly the PCB does not have BCCI's financial strength to finance and accomodate so many things.

 

[Savak]

There’s understandable reasons for this. You fail in internationals you get dropped quickly. Unlikely to get a long run. Even if you perform in domestic again good chance you won’t be repicked as you’ll be a TTF.

If you don’t make it international cricket, you’re not financially secure. So they’re desperate.

Criticism of team and players is immense. So no confidence. Team is 6th/7th best in the world but when they don’t win a tournament it’s like the worlds ending. A bit ridiculous.

I even think the pressure and criticism likely feeds into anxiety which causes our athletes to neglect their diets. Though tbh this is still their responsibility.

Hard to completely fix this, but less overboard criticism and strive to keep confidence high, long runs for players, less chopping and changing, focus ok introducing 1 or 2 new players at a time, more PSL teams so more players are financially compensated. These measures would help.

Every single player who has played for Pakistan faces this. Every debutant faces this. If you are mentally strong and a hard worker, you will perform and make your chances count. If not then you were never good enough. This is the difference b/w domestic and international cricket. Players who have what it takes thrive in International Cricket and players who are domestic level like Graeme Hick, Ramprakash, Fawad Alam will at best remain domestic legends.

 

[ads101]

Every single player who has played for Pakistan faces this. Every debutant faces this. If you are mentally strong and a hard worker, you will perform and make your chances count. If not then you were never good enough. This is the difference b/w domestic and international cricket. Players who have what it takes thrive in International Cricket and players who are domestic level like Graeme Hick, Ramprakash, Fawad Alam will at best remain domestic legends.

Sport has changed. Look at football, most managers try to take all the pressure in order to keep the players relaxed and full of confidence. And they’re constantly conditioning, relaxation massages etc. to keep stress levels low. The same criticism is faced towards footballers that they’re overpaid etc. Managers will even go so far to shield their players from criticism. But teams still choose to operate in this manner. They form an environment where it is as easy as possible for players to perform.

In most racket sports being relaxed is beneficial to the player. In badminton for example a common saying is being relaxed actually helps you hit harder. I’m sure the same is true in cricket. So being tense doesn’t help.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence either that western teams have outperformed India and the other Asian teams on the whole in the last decade or so in tournaments despite India having the strongest teams, largest talent pool and most money. What’s more you see teams such as New Zealand far outperforming their level who do not place much pressure on their players.

I think there is a subcontinent thinking that the way you approach the workplace is the way you approach sport. This isn’t the case, in sport high confidence and being relaxed helps massively. You can’t simply just be the best through hard work.

What is called out is for example in football, if a player isn’t training properly or sticking to his diet. He is dropped from the squad, forced to train alone, publicly outed by the club. There’s nowhere to hide there. Because these are things that done over the long term to get best results in the actual matches and fully in the players control. It is here we do the reverse, players are allowed to lose their fitness and still keep their spots, or get selected despite poor fitness. And what’s worse, better fitness diet contribute to lower levels of stress and better mental toughness as well, so for us to not prioritise it is a massive disadvantage for the team.

 

[TheSultan]

I think a lot of these pundits are playing for survival too. We have so many flip floppers. They identify problems, offer solutions but a few weeks later it’s the same old “no knee jerk reactions - all hail Babar”.

It seems survival in pak media is all about backing Babar and co’s nauseating brand of cricket. Why I don’t know.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Such a mindset will be detrimental for players too, let alone teams

 

[Saj]

It doesn't matter what the domestic format is if the PCB keeps making glaring errors and the players are only interested in making quick money.

There is no pride, passion or willingness to improve from most modern day Pakistani players.

The mindset and priorities need to change.