Lessons to learn for Pakistan from the ICC World Cup 2023 in India

[Savak]

- A captain must be appointed based on his professionalism, game awareness, tactical awareness foremost

- Selections for the ODI, Test and maybe even for T-20's strictly on the basis of the PSL must stop

- T20 players like Shadab, Usama Mir, Rauf, Nawaz must be kept away from the ODI and Test team

- All Domestically and Centrally Contracted players with the PCB must be mandated to participate in the entire domestic seasons, NOC's for T-20 leagues will not be given without participation in domestic cricket

- No compromise on Fitness and Nutrition on Domestic and Centrally contracted players especially the team touring abroad in major ICC events. Fitness tests, body fat tests every month on all players is mandatory and players on tour must only be mandated to eat healthy meals in restaurants as per the directives of the PCB nutritionist.

- The need to hire power hitting coaches at the domestic level and all are technically correct players must be told to develop their power hitting abilities and innovative stroke making skills so that they have a solid technique to defend against quality bowlers like Starc, Hazelwood, Cummins with the new balls and to find a way to disturb the line, lengths of bowlers like Bumrah i.e. take a step out of the crease, hit over the field. Part timers must be taken to task i.e. at least 15-20 run overs. Need to adopt Eoin Morgan's mentality i.e. at least one boundary or six every over must be mandated

- Launch a spin bowling emergency camp. Our lack of impactful spin bowling hurt us badly in the last 2 years especially in our home conditions.

Feel free to add anything else that comes to mind.

 

[Bhaijaan]

Go in to world cups with the intention of being respectful to host country and focusing on your own cricket rather than with the intention of sabotaging someone’s event with lies and propaganda.

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

- A captain must be appointed based on his professionalism, game awareness, tactical awareness foremost

- Selections for the ODI, Test and maybe even for T-20's strictly on the basis of the PSL must stop

- T20 players like Shadab, Usama Mir, Rauf, Nawaz must be kept away from the ODI and Test team

- All Domestically and Centrally Contracted players with the PCB must be mandated to participate in the entire domestic seasons, NOC's for T-20 leagues will not be given without participation in domestic cricket

- No compromise on Fitness and Nutrition on Domestic and Centrally contracted players especially the team touring abroad in major ICC events. Fitness tests, body fat tests every month on all players is mandatory and players on tour must only be mandated to eat healthy meals in resteraunts as per the directives of the PCB nutritionist.

- The need to hire power hitting coaches at the domestic level and all are technically correct players must be told to develop their power hitting abilities and innovative stroke making skills so that they have a solid technique to defend against quality bowlers like Starc, Hazelwood, Cummins with the new balls and to find a way to disturb the line, lengths of bowlers like Bhumra i.e. take a step out of the crease, hit over the field. Part timers must be taken to task i.e. atleast 15-20 run overs. Need to adopt Eoin Morgan's mentality i.e. atleast one boundary or six every over must be mandated

- Launch a spin bowling emergency camp. Our lack of impactful spin bowling hurt us badly in the last 2 years especially in our home conditions.

Feel free to add anything else that comes to mind

None of this will happen with PCB. However there will be 20 different chairman by 2027 taking turns by then.

 

[Runner Up]

Never let player power take over the control. No matter how big the player is.

 

[Runner Up]

#SochnaBhiMat

Who started this trend and why?

 

[jnaveen1980]

One aspect they might want to address is picking bit-part players who are not match winners in either department.

 

[Aviator]

Never take imam, abdullah, saud, nawaz and shabad like bits and pieces cricketers to any major tournament.Scoring against minnow side shouldn't give you false impression of being the no.1 side.

 

[Major]

Captaincy should not be given to the most talented player, but to the player who has captained the team in first class and Pakistan A and you have a proper person who has analyzed those games.

More importantly, First class and List A games.

 

[GLORY OF '92]

Imam
Nawaz
Mir
Rauf

These 3 must never play ODIs again

Babar can never captain again

 

[Aviator]

Rizwan should be made captain in all three formats... But he shouldn't take DRS.
Rotation policy for bowlers..
Polio doses for bowler like Wasim Jr..

 

[hur rizvi]

Any Pakistan captain shouldn't be given as much powers as babar

 

[saqib.rai]

The government should make a policy to ban toxic ex-cricketers and match fixers in their own days from coming on tv

All criticism should be done once the team is mathematically or logically out of the tournament

The captaincy criticism is invalid as the captain should be
1) certainty in the eleven
2) commands respect as a player and professional

Babar fulfills both these points.

We had a good team, but sadly couldn't deliver. Like England. Happens to the best of the teams. We will come back strong in the t20 WC in 2024 InshAllah

 

[zaidihusain]

Fakhar & Iftikhar: Must be forced to retire. Useless & unreliable
Imam, Shadab, Nawaz: Must be asked to play first class cricket
Rizwan: Must be asked to stop posting nonsense on social media while the tournament is going on. Must be asked to improve his game, fitness and focus on game only
Babar: This WC was best opportunity for him to announce his legacy in international cricket but he failed to win any match, he had few impactless performance. Must be removed from captaincy and must be asked to improve his batting and play for the team instead for his personal records.
Shaheen: Must improve his fitness, devlop more variations in bowling, control his aggression and need to be consistent
Haris Rauf: Must be forced to retire from international cricket, should play only PSL, BBL other T20/10 leagues
Hasan Ali: Can be brought back in tests as there are very few options available
Wasim Junior: Played first match in the WC and had cramps and fitness issues. Must play first class cricket

 

[topspin]

The non-selection of Saim Ayub, Imad Wasim, Tayyab Tahir and Amir (if he was fit and willing to play) should also serve Babar and Pakistan cricket a lesson that you cannot get away with playing inferior players like Imam, Nawaz, Ifti, Hasan Ali and Rauf just because they're in the captain's good books.

 

[mominsaigol]

Man, I can write an entire book on the lessons to be learned. I'm not even joking, I'll make a best seller like JK rowling

 

[batandballbattle]

PSL selections for t20 can work, other than that I agree with having a good first class record for other formats

Shadab Mir and Nawaz I agree on. Shadab played a good hand today and Mir looked improved but one has been generally poor for a while now and the other is undercooked at this level. Nawaz should be a goner no question, have not seen the so called 'match winner' quality from him at all. Rauf can come good with some time out to work on his radar, pace needs brains behind it as well. If he can do that he can be an x-factor in the future.

Might be tough to push the entire domestic season rule given the disparity in the money given to players between domestic and leagues

Fitness should be non-negotiable, especially in the modern game with more boundaries to save than ever and more chances of catches from more aggressive shots played by teams. Everyone likes to rip on the misbah era but under his captaincy we were at least fit, he took his side to train in the mountains before a successful england tour.

Power hitting will come from time in league cricket, which may go against the other directives. It can backfire and lead to a lot of brainless hacks coming through at the same time, making good scouting essential to see which players are feasting on buffet bowling and which have actual technique in their strokeplay.

And the last point is probably the most needed one here. I have seen a lot of nostalgia posts lately on when we used to have hafeez, pre-remodelling ajmal and afridi in the side who would keep a lock on things in the middle overs. It's understandable that these posts crop up with the current tweakers giving out half trackers and full tosses at will. Abrar could be a promising lead, and to revive out spin stocks we should also cultivate some wickets that help spinners,rather than churning out road after road. This will spur on the future gens to become specialist spinners, or at the very least proper spin all rounders.

 

[SportsWarrior]

Go in to world cups with the intention of being respectful to host country and focusing on your own cricket rather than with the intention of sabotaging someone’s event with lies and propaganda.

Well said. Also stop giving rediculouse excuses. Get rid of your director who is the biggest charlatan

 

[gazza619]

Lessons to be learnt? Don’t jail the national hero.

 

[rickroll]

Entire team should improve their fitness. We were fitter and more athletic than the Indians but it is the reverse now. The Indians seem so far ahead of us in fitness now and it is embarassing to see so many pot bellies and chubbies in the team.

 

[Visaal-E-Yaar]

Lessons to be learnt? Don’t jail the national hero.

Potw.

 

[Aman]

Number 1 ranking means little.

 

[Marooned]

For fans: Stop following this awful team.

For the team: Stuff few more selfish accumulators, play test cricket in colored kits, extend the current ban on going above run a ball or higher runrate, etc.

 

[Mockingbird]

Develop your spinners and choose a captain who can read the game.

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

The government should make a policy to ban toxic ex-cricketers and match fixers in their own days from coming on tv

All criticism should be done once the team is mathematically or logically out of the tournament

The captaincy criticism is invalid as the captain should be
1) certainty in the eleven
2) commands respect as a player and professional

Babar fulfills both these points.

We had a good team, but sadly couldn't deliver. Like England. Happens to the best of the teams. We will come back strong in the t20 WC in 2024 InshAllah

Only way for that to happen will be if Pakistan army takes over PCB and DG ISI runs the cricket board with a jernail as the head. Win or lose there will never be any criticism.

 

[RyanRyan10]

Only way for that to happen will be if Pakistan army takes over PCB and DG ISI runs the cricket board with a jernail as the head. Win or lose there will never be any criticism.

Commentators will refer WC winning captain as Qasim kay Abbu

 

[sweep_shot]

Lessons for Pakistan from this World Cup:

1) Spin department is seriously weak currently. Need to get a bunch of lethal spinners.

2) Captaincy needs to be changed. It should go to someone who is suitable for it.

3) Need to develop adequate bench strength.

4) Fitness needs to be better.

5) Fielding needs to be better.

6) Batting approach needs to be reviewed.

 

[YousafTheBeast]

A chairman that has no political affiliation, be it PTI, PPP or PMLN.

A chief selector that has no relation with the Pakistani players in the squad.

A ban on Pakistani journalists, especially those who lobby for their friends.

I don’t think we’ll see it in our life time, but a ban on cakes please.

 

[chinaman00]

Stop selecting players for ODI & Test cricket based on T20 performance.

 

[mominsaigol]

Whats the point? Pakistan is in eternal rebuilding phase for 4 years now.

Lesson 1: Select actual players who are topping your domestic circuits

Lesson 2: Give players extended runs and not panic back to babar and rizwan just cause a few series have been lost. Play your 2nd string, learn from nz who don't care about 4-1 defeats.

Lesson 3: For God sakes enough of Babar, Rizwan and imam hogging the most important slots on the planet.

Lesson 4: No more cloud 9, no 1 ranking drama please.

Lesson 5: Any player who doesnt play for the team and doesn't play modern cricket and follow the fakhar zaman sample must be booted forever.

Lesson 6: don't play your main bowlers 24/7, they'll lose pace and get injured very very quickly.

Lesson 7: for god sakes stop the whole we will play our winning 11 24/7 nonsense.

Lesson 8: Don't drop players randomly, Tayyab being dropped is so random?

Lesson 9: end dosti yaari

Lesson 10: Shove nawaz and sheddy in a whole and give me the key, I'll swallow it if I have to.

Lesson 11: Stop eating cake

Lesson 12: Stop crying, even margrot robbie's barbie doesn't cry as much, come on barbie let's go party.

Lesson 13: Stop kicking players put because you hate their personalities? What did sarfraz, imad, Amir do to you? Make some sarcastic comments on twitter and not bow down to corporate overlords?

Lesson 14: Stop laughing with the opposition

Lesson 15: Stop letting kohli enter your dugout as if he owns you, what you're gonna let him use your bathroom and drink your gatorades as well?

Lesson 16: Stop making akshay Kumar tiktok films. If pcb wants money, just keep uploading highlights to YouTube, those get 10 M views on average so your revenue is more golden then these cringe less then 100k views tiktoks that no one watches.

Lesson 17: Stop talking to Misbah, he is bad news.

Lesson 18: Stop letting imam and rizwan attend press conferences, their the 2 worst people to ever attend a press conference.

Lesson 19: groom a string of 20 to 25 players for the next 4 years.

Lesson 20: Stop preparing pindi pitched on purpose. The curators on purpose prepared an anti spin pitch because babar didn't wanna play Nepal spin please please prepare proper test pitches

Lesson 21: I'm gonna stop here. As I said I can write a book and have atleast 80 more Lesson stored in my brain

 

[Asad T]

We say the same thing to ourselves after every WC.

But, this WC and Asia Cup asside, I think we were actaully producing consisent cricket. We won most of our matches (yes many were against minnow teams, but that's all the scheduling we had). We just didn't produce consistently good cricket when it most mattered.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1725851316134830535

 

[mominsaigol]

We say the same thing to ourselves after every WC.

But, this WC and Asia Cup asside, I think we were actaully producing consisent cricket. We won most of our matches (yes many were against minnow teams, but that's all the scheduling we had). We just didn't produce consistently good cricket when it most mattered.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1725851316134830535

Brother we've been ushering in a new era since misbah days.

I've yet to see that new era arrive, I've waited more then a decade, literally. We all have.

 

[Buffet]

Don't play players who can neither bat nor bowl. Just because they are tagged as allrounders it does not make them all rounders.

Stop always having a fixed game to some how score 280 runs.

Stop playing for average and rankings.

 

[deltexas]

Nothing will change in pak cricket. It's been the same the last 3 decades and will continue that way. They are forever gonna be a so called mercurial and unpredictable team. The biggest issue they had was unity with infighting. The post 92wc Pak was so talented but massively hugely underachieved due to fixing and infighting.

With babar- pak team unity was at it's peak best in almost 3 decades. No infighting no backstabbing nobody wanting to usurp babars place. Never seen a pak team so United behind it's captain, no controversies or scandals. Squeaky clean image as a captain and as a team - a first for pak. Even imran Khans pak team was not this united and that's no mean achievement for a captain especially in a team as fractious as pak with so much politics involved. Yeah but if guys think there will be sea of change in pak cricket - good luck.. appointing someone as test captain who doesn't even make it to the 15 is pathetic and an insult to the other players. The Aus test tour will be an absolute shellacking and pak will be back to square one scapegoating someone and the drama will continue as usual

 

[Bewal Express]

No matter where you play and under which ever conditions, you have to have wicket takers that makes the opposition batsman think.

 

[rhony]

One lesson that this world cup has taught everyone is, pick specialist batsmen and bowlers. Even premier all rounder like Pandya wasn't missed.

 

[Maliq_Mudasir]

- A captain must be appointed based on his professionalism, game awareness, tactical awareness foremost

- Selections for the ODI, Test and maybe even for T-20's strictly on the basis of the PSL must stop

- T20 players like Shadab, Usama Mir, Rauf, Nawaz must be kept away from the ODI and Test team

- All Domestically and Centrally Contracted players with the PCB must be mandated to participate in the entire domestic seasons, NOC's for T-20 leagues will not be given without participation in domestic cricket

- No compromise on Fitness and Nutrition on Domestic and Centrally contracted players especially the team touring abroad in major ICC events. Fitness tests, body fat tests every month on all players is mandatory and players on tour must only be mandated to eat healthy meals in restaurants as per the directives of the PCB nutritionist.

- The need to hire power hitting coaches at the domestic level and all are technically correct players must be told to develop their power hitting abilities and innovative stroke making skills so that they have a solid technique to defend against quality bowlers like Starc, Hazelwood, Cummins with the new balls and to find a way to disturb the line, lengths of bowlers like Bumrah i.e. take a step out of the crease, hit over the field. Part timers must be taken to task i.e. at least 15-20 run overs. Need to adopt Eoin Morgan's mentality i.e. at least one boundary or six every over must be mandated

- Launch a spin bowling emergency camp. Our lack of impactful spin bowling hurt us badly in the last 2 years especially in our home conditions.

Feel free to add anything else that comes to mind.

We often overemphasize the roles of the captain, coach, and management, overlooking the significant contribution of the team's data analyst in today's cricket. For example Shaheen's realization of the suitable length for Indian pitches after 2-3 matches. Was the data analyst not responsible for presenting information on the patterns of boundary and wicket balls even before they stated playing WC? Similarly, shouldn't batsmen be informed about how teams have been constructing their innings in Indian conditions, identifying vulnerable phases and opportune moments to go aggressive? Wasn't the data not provided on what is the avg score scored by the teams in last 10 overs to avoid getting allout before 40th over ?

In my opinion, beyond the captain and coach, accountability lies with the data analyst for the insights provided at an individual level in each match. This becomes more critical when opposing teams leverage technology and data effectively, consistently staying ahead by ten steps even before the coin is flipped for a toss.

 

[Savak]

We often overemphasize the roles of the captain, coach, and management, overlooking the significant contribution of the team's data analyst in today's cricket. For example Shaheen's realization of the suitable length for Indian pitches after 2-3 matches. Was the data analyst not responsible for presenting information on the patterns of boundary and wicket balls even before they stated playing WC? Similarly, shouldn't batsmen be informed about how teams have been constructing their innings in Indian conditions, identifying vulnerable phases and opportune moments to go aggressive? Wasn't the data not provided on what is the avg score scored by the teams in last 10 overs to avoid getting allout before 40th over ?

In my opinion, beyond the captain and coach, accountability lies with the data analyst for the insights provided at an individual level in each match. This becomes more critical when opposing teams leverage technology and data effectively, consistently staying ahead by ten steps even before the coin is flipped for a toss.

Data analyst can easily say that the information is provided with the players, it is up to the players to decide what to do with it and to execute the plans.

Similarly Yousaf in Samma commented many times that he identifies technical flaws and issues with the batters at NCA including some senior players but it is then up to the players to put in the hard yards and work on their weaknesses. Many fitness trainers have been fired or have had their authority reduced when they have tried being tough on the players and the players have then complained to the PCB.

 

[BouncerGuy]

Pakistan's batting really needs to be innovative now. The Approach needs to change. We have seen that teams have been aiming for 350 to 400 but team Pakistan is still going for mediocre scores of around 290-300 which is way below par for today's standards. Learning from success is also important. That chase against Sri Lanka was some achievement and Pakistan can take that chase as a datum line and can try to replicate it in the future as well.