How did the PCB have the courage to drop all the 90s legends in 2003?

[Varun]

I've been doing some reading on this subject over the last few days, and am curious about the 2003 World Cup casualty list for Pakistan.

Eight players were sacked in all, including Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Saeed Anwar.

Why were there no tantrums in the media and a national clamour to recall them after the dust had settled? How come none of them tried to make any comebacks? Why did they head to the sunset peacefully?

I ask because this is not reminiscent of other Pakistan axings - like Mohammad Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq, Younis Khan and even Afridi. You always knew they would be back sooner or later.

So what gives?

 

[Mamoon]

Saeed Anwar had lost interest in the game after his daughter’s death in 2001, and it was common knowledge that Wasim was going to retire after the World Cup.

Waqar was forced out and he received a bit of media coverage where he complained for a few days, but people moved on quickly.

Waqar’s status was already diminished to an extent because of the rise of Shoaib, plus Mohammad Sami was seen as a genuine potential superstar at the time.

You also had the likes of Shabbir Ahmed who was considered a bowler with high ceiling, and Umar Gul was making a lot of headlines in domestic cricket.

 

[Major]

Disnt follow cricket than, but i would like to add that fans do get tired no matter how big a player you are.

Inzamam is a legend, but back in 2006-2007 he was publix enemy no.1. People hated his guts and were tired of him.

 

[Markhor]

A group stage exit from a World Cup, including a high profile defeat to India in a crunch game, will help you find that courage.

 

[Savak]

Lol, those 90's players were playing on past laurels, they were all finished and it was not a difficult decision to move on from them. Cricket had become a far more faster fitter game and they were products of the 80's and 90's and were found wanting given the modern demands of the game

 

[Nikhil_cric]

After the highs of winning a bilateral series in Australia, that team declined rather suddenly. They had a record of 13 losses and only 2 wins against other top 8 sides post that series till the end of the CWC group stages . Add 2 whiteashes at the hands of Australia in the UAE and SA in SA in tests in the same period and it's not that surprising. Overaged, unmotivated, constantly bickering, Waqar's dumb captaincy, Anwar's unnecessary calls for angels to win the World Cup, Wasim's politicking, Inzi's loss of form after loss of weight, Razzaq's loss of pace, akhtar's obsession with speedgun, Saqi's loss of spin, Afridi's lack of brains and skill. That was a team just waiting to get taken apart.

 

[Mamoon]

The 1993-2003 decade laid the foundations for Pakistan’s mediocrity that is haunting us to this date.

A toxic dressing room environment full of big egos who severely underperformed.

 

[Hasan123]

We were awful in that World Cup. A lot of those players had to go and they couldn't really complain about it.

 

[Mamoon]

The 2002 series win in Australia was one of the biggest flukes ever.

Arguably the worst ODI captain ever (Waqar) ended up winning a series against arguably the greatest ODI team ever, that too in their den.

Australia had a complete mare for once, and Shoaib turned up against a great team for once.

 

[Varun]

The 2002 series win in Australia was one of the biggest flukes ever.

Arguably the worst ODI captain ever (Waqar) ended up winning a series against arguably the greatest ODI team ever, that too in their den.

Australia had a complete mare for once, and Shoaib turned up against a great team for once.

Looked this up. It was a 2-1 victory in a 3-match ODI series.

Heh. Could have gone either way.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Looked this up. It was a 2-1 victory in a 3-match ODI series.

Heh. Could have gone either way.

You have to see the context as well. Pakistan became the #1 ODI team in the world after that series win. 10 months later they were probably the 10th best team at the World Cup and were comfortably the worst of the top 8 teams at the very least.

 

[Zaz]

They shouldve started doing that in phases post 1999 world cup There was hardly any additions in the 4 year since then which never should happen

Instead the 1999 batch were practically carried over and now were aged and well past their very best

Its no surprise they performed so poorly in 2003 If only somone had the guts to do a cull in 1999 maybe pakistan wouldve done a lot better

 

[BreadPakoda]

Same way how India could get rid of Gambhir, Sehwag, Zak, Bhajji etc. in one go but for years found it difficult to get rid of Dhoni. It’s sometimes easier to do such bulk changes after a major loss. When it’s done to one person even someone like Ambati Rayudu goes and cries in front of the media.

 

[cric_4life]

AamirSohail was made Chief selector.. Biggest blunder in PCB history. First round exit in 2003 world cup.

 

[gazza619]

The 2002 series win in Australia was one of the biggest flukes ever.

Arguably the worst ODI captain ever (Waqar) ended up winning a series against arguably the greatest ODI team ever, that too in their den.

Australia had a complete mare for once, and Shoaib turned up against a great team for once.

I will die wondering how can one fluke a series win or a tournament win, You may get lucky in one game yes, but series are won by the better team (unless rain or bad umpiring plays a part).

 

[unemployedgm]

In 2003 Waqar and Wasim were hitting there 40s. What are you giving credit for?

 

[ElRaja]

pak selections up till that point were all over the place, players used to be made captain one day, dropped a few months later, the keeper position kept ping ponging between moin and rashid, and guys like humayun farhat and atiq uz zaman got a run too.

abdul razzaq opened the batting in odis with wajahatullah wasti, with hasan raza at one down, all with (no exaggeration) s/r around 50 at the time. waqar and wasim pbly missed 10 to 20 tests cos they didnt wanna play together at various time.

the team of that era was an absolute shambles, its only cos they had decent individual players pak kept winning stuff, until they reached a tournament and had to be consistent and failed, or stuff like 99 happened.

 

[unemployedgm]

What did that team win?

 

[moghul]

Unlike today, board/selectors then had the courage to drops the super stars who had past their prime . Its only today that likes of Azhar, Sarfraz, Shoiab, Shah ,Hafeez, Sohail Khan, and Imran Khan Jr are still stuck with team. Misbah started this fashion and he is persisting with that.

 

[hitthestump]

What might have made it easier is that initially there was no discrimination in who got dropped. Pakistan's first assignment after the WC was the Sharjah Cup and only a handful of first team players survived. It was a totally new look side and nobody could complain that they'd been singled out.

Ignoring their ages, on paper the 2003 Pakistan side was the most talented team in the world cup. The manner in which we performed was inexcusable given the superstars that were there. Nobody could have justified ongoing selection after that and it was very obvious we needed to rebuild without the toxic environment that Wasim and Waqar had created within the ranks.

 

[Savak]

I remember back then people were sick and tired of the players from the 80's and 90's and wanted new blood. You have to remember the environment and feeling after the exit of the 2003 ODI WC and the form of the team for the last 6-7 months

 

[msb314]

A group stage exit from a World Cup, including a high profile defeat to India in a crunch game, will help you find that courage.

Yet here we are today (after the 2019 WC) and Hafeez shows no sign of retiring..

The 2002 series win in Australia was one of the biggest flukes ever.

Arguably the worst ODI captain ever (Waqar) ended up winning a series against arguably the greatest ODI team ever, that too in their den.

Australia had a complete mare for once, and Shoaib turned up against a great team for once.

From what I recall - that was the last time we had won an ODI series against Australia to this day..

 

[Thunderbolt14]

The players should have retired long before - they were already pushing it. Once 2003 happened, they realized it was time.

 

[Mamoon]

Yet here we are today (after the 2019 WC) and Hafeez shows no sign of retiring..



From what I recall - that was the last time we had won an ODI series against Australia to this day..

Last ODI series win against Australia - 2002
Last ODI series win against England - 2005

But we are so talented....

 

[Mamoon]

I will die wondering how can one fluke a series win or a tournament win, You may get lucky in one game yes, but series are won by the better team (unless rain or bad umpiring plays a part).

That Australian team would win a series against that Pakistan team anywhere in the world 99 out of 100 times. Hence, that one particular instance was clearly a fluke.

 

[Kaddy]

AamirSohail was made Chief selector.. Biggest blunder in PCB history. First round exit in 2003 world cup.

If I am not wrong, Aamir Sohail was made chief selector after 2003 world cup debacle and his appointment was a clear indication that some careers would be ended.

 

[Rana]

Saeed Anwar was the only one who regrettably left a little early, otherwise it made sense to not renew interest in the likes of Wasim, Waqar and Saqlain.

Inzimam was a little bizarre but he came back with a bang in the last Bangladesh Test. Had a fantastic year against India at home and scored some great runs for 3 years, only to go missing again in 2007 when he was much needed.

 

[Saj]

That group were like a boxer who had fought one fight too many.

The hunger, fitness and desire had gone. Players were over the hill and they knew it themselves.

 

[RyanRyan10]

They finished 5th in group of 7

Their only win came against 2 associates- Holland and Namibia.

Aus, Eng and India thrashed them one sided. So you can understand how bad a team would be if they lose against 3 different opponents in one-sided matches. Against Zim, their match was called off due to rain. They were at 73-3.

The eight seniors were dropped for different reasons

Akram & Anwar retired after the WC, though Akram announced his retirement after a few months.

Waqar & Saqlain were both age frauds and they didn't have the same aura. Saqlain was benched in a few matches. Waqar was thrashed against Aus & India.

Afridi and Mahmood were both average bits and pieces players who got more opportunities then they deserved.

Akhtar and Inzi were good at that time but in the particular tournament, both of them flopped. Inzi scored 19 runs in 6 innings with an average of 3. Akhtar failed against India and England, ge conceded over 7rpo in both these matches which was pathetic in those days. His best performance in that WC was actually with the bat. He smashed 43 off 16 against England.

 

[Mueez]

I think the main reason of Pakistan’s cricket downfall was the cricketing generation of 2003-2007.

The players which were selected were simply not good enough.

We started accepting mediocrity and that’s why our cricket went downhill.

 

[Zaz]

I think the main reason of Pakistan’s cricket downfall was the cricketing generation of 2003-2007.

The players which were selected were simply not good enough.

We started accepting mediocrity and that’s why our cricket went downhill.

The failure of the 2007 WC was down to inzy

He was practically running the show then and a lot of avge players were coasting in mediocrity under him

Inzy and yousufs fitness went from poor to even worse They looked more like asian taxi drivers in england than intnl class batsmen in 2007

He slid himself to 5 in the order Hiding away from responsibility

You had hafeez, malik, imrsn nazir and kamran akmal filling batting slots

The whole batting lineup was a shambles

 

[DeadlyVenom]

It was a catastrophic failure with not even the slightest hint of a silver linings. Subsequent failures have been a bit narrower and people to construct strange scenarios. I mean in the last world cup we didn't qualify for the semis but for some strange reason there was a theory that said we were so close that IF we qualified we would have won the thing. These kind of strange theories give players a bit of wiggle room which they just didn't have in 2003.

In terms of uproar from the general public dont think there was as much toxic media back then either. The abundance of meaningless shows/channels/youtubes nowadays gives an outlet for crazed ex players and amplifies some of the backing for so called seniors.

 

[Mueez]

The failure of the 2007 WC was down to inzy

He was practically running the show then and a lot of avge players were coasting in mediocrity under him

Inzy and yousufs fitness went from poor to even worse They looked more like asian taxi drivers in england than intnl class batsmen in 2007

He slid himself to 5 in the order Hiding away from responsibility

You had hafeez, malik, imrsn nazir and kamran akmal filling batting slots

The whole batting lineup was a shambles

Indeed. That’s the reason why we couldn’t achieve what we should’ve as a cricketing giant...

Had we chosen the right players we wouldn’t find ourselves in the position which we currently are.

Thankfully the current U-19 cricketers look much better and mature.

Hopefully they will be no infightings and egoism in the dressing room.

 

[sweep_shot]

In 2003, many of those legends were already past their primes. So, dropping them was not shocking considering how Pakistan did in 2003 World Cup (their only wins came against Namibia and Netherlands).

 

[Bhaijaan]

It's just the kind of country Pakistan has been.

The way they back their players up and the way they punish their players is very different from what we do in India so hard to understand that.

PCB has also often gone to great lengths to back their players in trouble

 

[Markhor]

In 2003, many of those legends were already past their primes. So, dropping them was not shocking considering how Pakistan did in 2003 World Cup (their only wins came against Namibia and Netherlands).

Even in those wins vs Namibia and Holland we were distinctly unimpressive labouring to 250 with the bat. The signs of impending doom were evident even before that World Cup. People wondering why I'm very anti-Waqar need to look at that 2002-03 era under his captaincy which was the most depressing time of my Pakistan fandom after 2010.

After beating Australia away in the ODI series, we had an appalling slump starting in the Morocco tri-series where we lost 3 of 4 matches, including botching a chase of 196.

The Kenya tri-series was even worse. We were hammered by Australia and would've lost the final had rain not interfered. Worst of all, we even laboured to beat Kenya nearly botching a chase of 130 ! We crashed out of the group stage of the 2002 Champions Trophy despite being staged in Asian conditions. Then came the biggest humiliation: the Sharjah Test vs Australia.

I returned from school thinking a PLAYER had scored 59 and 53 in the 1st and 2nd innings. I did a double take learning the entire TEAM scored that amount - on a flat Sharjah pitch of all places ! That's when I lost patience with Waqar - it was clear the boys won't playing for him. In South Africa we received another hammering.

Amidst all this, there was a bustup between Waqar and Mohammad Yousuf. Yousuf picked up a shoulder injury and Waqar thought he was malingering, and had a go at him. Wasim meanwhile started his campaign for the captaincy as he did before World Cups, but Chairman Tauqir Zia refused with the Qayyum Report still hanging like a dark cloud. His faction (Akhtar, Razzaq, Afridi, Yousuf, Azhar) were anti-Waqar, and the 2 Ws were barely on speaking terms. Inzamam was seen as the mediator.

As for Inzamam, he completely lost form after the 329 vs NZ, only regaining it after that fabulous Multan hundred vs Bangladesh. He had a torrid WC while Saeed Anwar began his journey into the world of Tablighi Jamaat after losing his daughter. He was never the same player and had a poor WC with just one slow hundred vs India on a flat deck to show for. Guys like Saqlain Mushtaq and Azhar Mahmood were past it while Saleem Elahi, Shahid Afridi, Taufiq Umar (in ODIs) never had it. Abdul Razzaq became lazy around this time with his pace dropping while Shoaib Akhtar was simply obsessed with breaking the speed record.

Waqar's captaincy was appalling. Defensive, reactive, robotic and unimaginative - lacking man management skills and lost his composure at crunch moments (bowling beamers to Andrew Symonds in our opening game vs Aus having reduced them to 86-4). Yet we appointed this guy to a coaching role for a FIFTH time.

 

[Loralai]

Aamir Sohail was made chief selector. Rashid Latif was made captain. It was a powerful combination who had seen the damage that many of 90s "stars" had caused to the team and had witnessed the fixing scandals first hand. It was a good opportunity for a clear out and these guys took it. It was a bold step to invest in youth. We needed a similar clearout after 2011 but unfortunately it didn't happen.

 

[Savak]

Even in those wins vs Namibia and Holland we were distinctly unimpressive labouring to 250 with the bat. The signs of impending doom were evident even before that World Cup. People wondering why I'm very anti-Waqar need to look at that 2002-03 era under his captaincy which was the most depressing time of my Pakistan fandom after 2010.

After beating Australia away in the ODI series, we had an appalling slump starting in the Morocco tri-series where we lost 3 of 4 matches, including botching a chase of 196.

The Kenya tri-series was even worse. We were hammered by Australia and would've lost the final had rain not interfered. Worst of all, we even laboured to beat Kenya nearly botching a chase of 130 ! We crashed out of the group stage of the 2002 Champions Trophy despite being staged in Asian conditions. Then came the biggest humiliation: the Sharjah Test vs Australia.

I returned from school thinking a PLAYER had scored 59 and 53 in the 1st and 2nd innings. I did a double take learning the entire TEAM scored that amount - on a flat Sharjah pitch of all places ! That's when I lost patience with Waqar - it was clear the boys won't playing for him. In South Africa we received another hammering.

Amidst all this, there was a bustup between Waqar and Mohammad Yousuf. Yousuf picked up a shoulder injury and Waqar thought he was malingering, and had a go at him. Wasim meanwhile started his campaign for the captaincy as he did before World Cups, but Chairman Tauqir Zia refused with the Qayyum Report still hanging like a dark cloud. His faction (Akhtar, Razzaq, Afridi, Yousuf, Azhar) were anti-Waqar, and the 2 Ws were barely on speaking terms. Inzamam was seen as the mediator.

As for Inzamam, he completely lost form after the 329 vs NZ, only regaining it after that fabulous Multan hundred vs Bangladesh. He had a torrid WC while Saeed Anwar began his journey into the world of Tablighi Jamaat after losing his daughter. He was never the same player and had a poor WC with just one slow hundred vs India on a flat deck to show for. Guys like Saqlain Mushtaq and Azhar Mahmood were past it while Saleem Elahi, Shahid Afridi, Taufiq Umar (in ODIs) never had it. Abdul Razzaq became lazy around this time with his pace dropping while Shoaib Akhtar was simply obsessed with breaking the speed record.

Waqar's captaincy was appalling. Defensive, reactive, robotic and unimaginative - lacking man management skills and lost his composure at crunch moments (bowling beamers to Andrew Symonds in our opening game vs Aus having reduced them to 86-4). Yet we appointed this guy to a coaching role for a FIFTH time.

Cannot Disagree with this. In hindsight the PCB screwed up by making Waqar the captain because it was clear he did not have the respect of the boys.

That team was showing signs of carrying aging, past it players who had run out of steam, gas after playing for a good 15-20 years whereas most other teams had young, fresh players or some experienced players in their primes.

The PCB at the time chose not to disturb the team combination because of how close the WC was but the moment the 2003 WC ended, Tauqir Zia breathed a sigh of relief because he finally got the ideal moment, opportunity to kick out all the players who had been playing politics and indulging in infighting in the dressing room for the last 11 years and he wanted to move on with a young fresh team which is what happened

 

[Mirpur express]

Some really good/knowledgable comments here , Just hope Misbah reads them & changes his defensive thinking in everything to a more positive approach starting with selecting a youthful side

 

[Usman Chadda]

Amir Sohail became chief selector and Rashid Latif became captain.

Also, I remember the first assignment we had was the Cherry Blossom Cup, where we were playing Sri Lanka, Kenya and Zimbabwe. So this was seen as a good opportunity to test a few players out, some of whom did well.

End of the day, Wasim, Waqar and Anwar were the casualties of that World Cup. Everyone else was still in the reckoning and came back to play infact. Wasim and Waqar had pretty much had enough of Pakistan cricket, while Anwar was persuaded to come play the 2002-03 season anyway, so he was fine with getting dumped.

 

[andy0204]

even in those wins vs namibia and holland we were distinctly unimpressive labouring to 250 with the bat. The signs of impending doom were evident even before that world cup. People wondering why i'm very anti-waqar need to look at that 2002-03 era under his captaincy which was the most depressing time of my pakistan fandom after 2010.

After beating australia away in the odi series, we had an appalling slump starting in the morocco tri-series where we lost 3 of 4 matches, including botching a chase of 196.

The kenya tri-series was even worse. We were hammered by australia and would've lost the final had rain not interfered. Worst of all, we even laboured to beat kenya nearly botching a chase of 130 ! We crashed out of the group stage of the 2002 champions trophy despite being staged in asian conditions. Then came the biggest humiliation: The sharjah test vs australia.

I returned from school thinking a player had scored 59 and 53 in the 1st and 2nd innings. I did a double take learning the entire team scored that amount - on a flat sharjah pitch of all places ! That's when i lost patience with waqar - it was clear the boys won't playing for him. In south africa we received another hammering.

Amidst all this, there was a bustup between waqar and mohammad yousuf. Yousuf picked up a shoulder injury and waqar thought he was malingering, and had a go at him. wasim meanwhile started his campaign for the captaincy as he did before world cups, but chairman tauqir zia refused with the qayyum report still hanging like a dark cloud. His faction (akhtar, razzaq, afridi, yousuf, azhar) were anti-waqar, and the 2 ws were barely on speaking terms. Inzamam was seen as the mediator.

As for inzamam, he completely lost form after the 329 vs nz, only regaining it after that fabulous multan hundred vs bangladesh. He had a torrid wc while saeed anwar began his journey into the world of tablighi jamaat after losing his daughter. He was never the same player and had a poor wc with just one slow hundred vs india on a flat deck to show for. Guys like saqlain mushtaq and azhar mahmood were past it while saleem elahi, shahid afridi, taufiq umar (in odis) never had it. Abdul razzaq became lazy around this time with his pace dropping while shoaib akhtar was simply obsessed with breaking the speed record.

Waqar's captaincy was appalling. Defensive, reactive, robotic and unimaginative - lacking man management skills and lost his composure at crunch moments (bowling beamers to andrew symonds in our opening game vs aus having reduced them to 86-4). Yet we appointed this guy to a coaching role for a fifth time.

potw.

 

[Savak]

Amir Sohail became chief selector and Rashid Latif became captain.

Also, I remember the first assignment we had was the Cherry Blossom Cup, where we were playing Sri Lanka, Kenya and Zimbabwe. So this was seen as a good opportunity to test a few players out, some of whom did well.

End of the day, Wasim, Waqar and Anwar were the casualties of that World Cup. Everyone else was still in the reckoning and came back to play infact. Wasim and Waqar had pretty much had enough of Pakistan cricket, while Anwar was persuaded to come play the 2002-03 season anyway, so he was fine with getting dumped.

Wasim and Waqar still wanted to play for another year for Pakistan but Tauqir Zia told them that he will give them a benefit match farewell but their careers were over

 

[smoothcriminal]

Even in those wins vs Namibia and Holland we were distinctly unimpressive labouring to 250 with the bat. The signs of impending doom were evident even before that World Cup. People wondering why I'm very anti-Waqar need to look at that 2002-03 era under his captaincy which was the most depressing time of my Pakistan fandom after 2010.

After beating Australia away in the ODI series, we had an appalling slump starting in the Morocco tri-series where we lost 3 of 4 matches, including botching a chase of 196.

The Kenya tri-series was even worse. We were hammered by Australia and would've lost the final had rain not interfered. Worst of all, we even laboured to beat Kenya nearly botching a chase of 130 ! We crashed out of the group stage of the 2002 Champions Trophy despite being staged in Asian conditions. Then came the biggest humiliation: the Sharjah Test vs Australia.

I returned from school thinking a PLAYER had scored 59 and 53 in the 1st and 2nd innings. I did a double take learning the entire TEAM scored that amount - on a flat Sharjah pitch of all places ! That's when I lost patience with Waqar - it was clear the boys won't playing for him. In South Africa we received another hammering.

Amidst all this, there was a bustup between Waqar and Mohammad Yousuf. Yousuf picked up a shoulder injury and Waqar thought he was malingering, and had a go at him. Wasim meanwhile started his campaign for the captaincy as he did before World Cups, but Chairman Tauqir Zia refused with the Qayyum Report still hanging like a dark cloud. His faction (Akhtar, Razzaq, Afridi, Yousuf, Azhar) were anti-Waqar, and the 2 Ws were barely on speaking terms. Inzamam was seen as the mediator.

As for Inzamam, he completely lost form after the 329 vs NZ, only regaining it after that fabulous Multan hundred vs Bangladesh. He had a torrid WC while Saeed Anwar began his journey into the world of Tablighi Jamaat after losing his daughter. He was never the same player and had a poor WC with just one slow hundred vs India on a flat deck to show for. Guys like Saqlain Mushtaq and Azhar Mahmood were past it while Saleem Elahi, Shahid Afridi, Taufiq Umar (in ODIs) never had it. Abdul Razzaq became lazy around this time with his pace dropping while Shoaib Akhtar was simply obsessed with breaking the speed record.

Waqar's captaincy was appalling. Defensive, reactive, robotic and unimaginative - lacking man management skills and lost his composure at crunch moments (bowling beamers to Andrew Symonds in our opening game vs Aus having reduced them to 86-4). Yet we appointed this guy to a coaching role for a FIFTH time.

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this post, as it captured my exact sentiments during those times. I remember that in the midst of all this, we had this 5 match odi series v. Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe, where we took them apart, and our aging stars totally flexed to reconcile their abysmal recent records. Mohammad Yousaf scored 400 runs in 5 innings, remained not-out, and others were acting like heroes.

When you say 'depressing,' one particular moment struck out to me: Zimbabwe were chasing a total, and Waqar Younis (well past it) had an lbw decision go against him, and he was raging. Next ball he bowled a helpless Zimbabwean nobody batsman, and Waqar looked back at the umpire with this incredibly misplaced, bizarre bravado. I mean, this was a guy clearly trying to rekindle his past magic, and he had really nothing left, so he was clutching on straws. It was depressing to see (clip is available on Youtube: https://youtu.be/sfJG6j6Bd5A).

WC 2003 was ripe for disaster, and it sure panned out that way. Everyone was sick of Pak team by the end of the World Cup, and everyone loved the concept of 'rebuilding' for the 2007 World Cup. Well, the next one turned out even worse.

 

[Zaz]

The fact like many have highlighted the team needed a good clear out at least 2 years before

Too many players, were over the hill, out of form or just not good enough

The fact they continued with the 1999 team practically was a disaster waiting to happen

 

[cric_4life]

If I am not wrong, Aamir Sohail was made chief selector after 2003 world cup debacle and his appointment was a clear indication that some careers would be ended.

And the great man discarded Inzi, Azhar Amhmood, saqlain , and many other came up with a brand new team with zero experience. Result All out for 53 and then 59

 

[topspin]

And the great man discarded Inzi, Azhar Amhmood, saqlain , and many other came up with a brand new team with zero experience. Result All out for 53 and then 59 ����

I thought he made Inzi captain after that World Cup?

 

[topspin]

Even in those wins vs Namibia and Holland we were distinctly unimpressive labouring to 250 with the bat. The signs of impending doom were evident even before that World Cup. People wondering why I'm very anti-Waqar need to look at that 2002-03 era under his captaincy which was the most depressing time of my Pakistan fandom after 2010.

After beating Australia away in the ODI series, we had an appalling slump starting in the Morocco tri-series where we lost 3 of 4 matches, including botching a chase of 196.

The Kenya tri-series was even worse. We were hammered by Australia and would've lost the final had rain not interfered. Worst of all, we even laboured to beat Kenya nearly botching a chase of 130 ! We crashed out of the group stage of the 2002 Champions Trophy despite being staged in Asian conditions. Then came the biggest humiliation: the Sharjah Test vs Australia.

I returned from school thinking a PLAYER had scored 59 and 53 in the 1st and 2nd innings. I did a double take learning the entire TEAM scored that amount - on a flat Sharjah pitch of all places ! That's when I lost patience with Waqar - it was clear the boys won't playing for him. In South Africa we received another hammering.

Amidst all this, there was a bustup between Waqar and Mohammad Yousuf. Yousuf picked up a shoulder injury and Waqar thought he was malingering, and had a go at him. Wasim meanwhile started his campaign for the captaincy as he did before World Cups, but Chairman Tauqir Zia refused with the Qayyum Report still hanging like a dark cloud. His faction (Akhtar, Razzaq, Afridi, Yousuf, Azhar) were anti-Waqar, and the 2 Ws were barely on speaking terms. Inzamam was seen as the mediator.

As for Inzamam, he completely lost form after the 329 vs NZ, only regaining it after that fabulous Multan hundred vs Bangladesh. He had a torrid WC while Saeed Anwar began his journey into the world of Tablighi Jamaat after losing his daughter. He was never the same player and had a poor WC with just one slow hundred vs India on a flat deck to show for. Guys like Saqlain Mushtaq and Azhar Mahmood were past it while Saleem Elahi, Shahid Afridi, Taufiq Umar (in ODIs) never had it. Abdul Razzaq became lazy around this time with his pace dropping while Shoaib Akhtar was simply obsessed with breaking the speed record.

Waqar's captaincy was appalling. Defensive, reactive, robotic and unimaginative - lacking man management skills and lost his composure at crunch moments (bowling beamers to Andrew Symonds in our opening game vs Aus having reduced them to 86-4). Yet we appointed this guy to a coaching role for a FIFTH time.

Brilliant post which deserves to be POTW.

Waqar was indeed primarily the reason why Pakistan were so inept during the 2003 WC. He’s a failed tactician and he’s had issues with communicating with others, so he was always bound to get into problems with his team-mates.

The way we batted against Namibia and Holland was suffice for everyone to see that the team wasn’t playing for Waqar. But, don’t forget how he bottled it against Australia when he had them on the ropes in the first half of their innings. He totally lost the plot when he deliberately ended up bowling beamers at Symonds.

I was 11 years old during this WC and even I could grasp the fact that this was a failed tactician and leader. Almost 20 years on and the PCB have still not taken heed to his track record of man management.

 

[Kaddy]

And the great man discarded Inzi, Azhar Amhmood, saqlain , and many other came up with a brand new team with zero experience. Result All out for 53 and then 59

I think you are mixing up two different things.

The match you have mentioned was played in 2002 in Sharjah under the captaincy of Waqar. All the three main Pakistani batsmen Saeed Anwar, Inzimam & Yousuf didn't play. I believe Anwar & Inzi were injured and Yousuf was dropped as Waqar had some issues with him.

Aamir Sohail was not the chief selector back then.

He was made chief selector after 2003 world cup and he immediately dropped Wasim, Waqar, Saeed, Inzi & Afridi. Wasim took retirement after 3 months, Anwar after 5/6 months and Waqar who wanted to make comeback eventually retired after almost one year.

Inzi & Afridi later came back later.

Aamir Sohail had some other blunders i.e. Junaid Zia, Yasir Ali etc.

 

[Cric1234]

And the great man discarded Inzi, Azhar Amhmood, saqlain , and many other came up with a brand new team with zero experience. Result All out for 53 and then 59

The team included a young 28 year old Misbah Ul Haq who must have been playing one of his first matches in international cricket.