[EXCLUSIVE] "This is perhaps the lowest point I have seen in Pakistan cricket”: Sikandar Bakht

[BouncerGuy]

Sikandar Bakht is a seasoned presenter, broadcaster, and commentator and a well recognised face for both domestic and international cricket games.

In the past year, Pakistan has faced significant setbacks in cricket, including being knocked out in the group stages of both the ICC Men’s ODI and T20 World Cups, and suffering a home Test series defeat to Bangladesh. This is arguably one of the worst periods in Pakistan’s cricket history.

To explore the reasons behind this decline, Saj talks with Sikandar Bakht, who offered his insights into the inner workings of Pakistan cricket.

Some of the key highlights of this interview are:

Test match drought: Stressed that the limited number of Test matches significantly hampers players' exposure and experience, leading to a generation unprepared for the rigors of red-ball cricket.

Shift towards T20: Emphasized the growing obsession with white-ball formats, noting that this shift is reshaping player priorities and undermining the importance of developing the skills necessary for Test cricket.

Specialist players needed: Pointed out the lack of specialist spinners and the over-reliance on pace bowlers in diverse conditions, highlighting this as a gap in strategic planning and player selection.

Grassroots Investment: Emphasized the need for investment in grassroots initiatives, including coaching and infrastructure, as essential steps for reviving cricket in Pakistan and cultivating future talent.

Commentary path: Emphasized the importance of learning and gaining practical experience in commentary, encouraging aspiring commentators to explore various avenues in sports media.

Emerging talents: Expressed optimism about the pool of promising young cricketers in Pakistan, highlighting their potential to lead the nation's cricket forward.

Watch the full interview here:

 

[FearlessRoar]

Everyone is pointing out one issue, which is the lack of red ball cricket. Why are we just talking about it? Why don't we just talk about focusing on developing such a system so that it doesn't happen?

 

[sweep_shot]

Have to agree with Sikandar.

Pakistan went through many challenging phases. But, they never faced a phase when they were knocked out by USA and whitewashed by Bangladesh.

This is an unchartered territory.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

PCT looks lost and certainly never remained so low for so long below.

 

[TheSultan]

The “lack of red ball” argument only holds some merit if you are doing something with white ball. We are just as bad at white ball as red ball.

 

[Farabi]

The “lack of red ball” argument only holds some merit if you are doing something with white ball. We are just as bad at white ball as red ball.

Well, the argument goes that red-ball cricket develops skill-sets that enable players to perform better even in white ball cricket.

 

[zaidihusain]

The “lack of red ball” argument only holds some merit if you are doing something with white ball. We are just as bad at white ball as red ball.

Agree. If we see Sri Lanka, WI & Bang also doesn't play too many test matches but still they all have recently won a test match in Eng, Aus & NZ and on the other side Pakistan is losing at home. There are other bigger reasons why this team is failing accross formats

 

[pakistani pride]

Useless stars have been created who believe their own hype. Pakistan as a country is going downhill very fast. Cricket is also a reflection of that.

 

[gibsyhesperis]

Everyone is pointing out one issue, which is the lack of red ball cricket. Why are we just talking about it? Why don't we just talk about focusing on developing such a system so that it doesn't happen?

Well, I just don’t think the public really care that much about Test cricket.
It therefore gets no attention and is treated as an afterthought.
We will morph into a version of the West Indies, with isolated white ball performers but just like in the West Indies , where the fans do not care bout Tests, the red ball game will become increasingly irrelevant.

 

[Saj]

So many people pointing out the issues in Pakistan cricket.

But nobody is surprised regarding this decline. For too long we relied on superstars to bail us out.

These days we have players who think they are superstars, but the reality is they are just average cricketers, with big egos and not a lot of skill.

 

[jnaveen1980]

During Bhakt days I think they had guys like Tausif, Iqbal Qasim then Qadir. Pakistan always had half decent spinner in the set up. While meighbouring country keep.producing mystery spinners, Pakistan is in dire need of decent spinner.

 

[cricketAXEpert]

Everyone is pointing out one issue, which is the lack of red ball cricket. Why are we just talking about it? Why don't we just talk about focusing on developing such a system so that it doesn't happen?

Thankfully, they are finally talking about. Otherwise the PCB is mostly interested in scheduling more and more T-20s, mostly at expense of test cricket. A team that plays 4-6 tests in a year can never compete with a Team that plays 25 in the same time. frame

 

[BouncerGuy]

The lowest point is yet to come when Pakistan is gonna loose another home series against England.

 

[Muhammad Saad]

We are surely going to play WC qualifiers in the next decade and will be competing with Associate nations the way things are going at the moment.

Our upcoming talent is below Sri and BDs upcoming talent.

 

[hassan918]

Pakistan should invest in a couple of young spinners who focus mainly on playing red ball cricket. It is hard with the amount of white ball cricket being played these days but if you start them young and take good care of themselves, they should be focus on bowling in longer formats.