Mental weakness of Pakistan players after success

[Usman Chadda]

I’m beginning to think Pakistan players don’t really react too well to hype or added pressure that comes with good performances. Time and again we have seen our players absolutely flop, after they have shown some amount of talent. They hit the scene and are lauded with praise left, right and centre, and then proceed to crash and burn, and eventually either disappear or hang on to the team with just enough performances to keep them in the team.

There’s a long list in the recent line of players that have unfortunately succumbed to this. Yes you can say teams work them out, but that stands true for pretty much every other team and their players doesn’t it? They go from strength to strength and our players either get too complacent or just regress so bad, that their initial burst is too good to be true.

Umar Akmal
Sohaib Maqsood
Muhammad Amir
Hasan Ali
Nasir Jamshed
Muhammad Rizwan
Junaid Khan
Shadab Khan
Sami Aslam
And now Muhammad Abbas

I’m missing some names for sure, but those are prime examples of lack of player development. It’s as if they start believing they are the only ones playing the opposition and either try too hard or just stop believing in their skills.

These players need a psychiatrist. We have a massive coaching staff with the team, but a psychiatrist is absolutely necessary. The mental weakness of our boys needs work and something is seriously going horribly wrong, which holds them back and doesn’t let them come close to the performances of their initial burst.

 

[Mamoon]

It is true for some of these players. However, quite often they get to play against weak opposition early on (since we play a lot of cricket against weak teams), get overhyped by our rabid fans and end up getting exposed against quality opposition.

In other cases they cash on beginner's luck and fluke a few performances against good teams before they get worked out. Out of this list, Hasan is the only one who has regressed because of superstar syndrome. Others were overrated or simply got exposed with time.

Also, a bit too soon to put Abbas here. His success against disciplined batting is questionable, but perhaps we should wait for another 2-3 matches before adding him here.

 

[SportsWarrior]

Most Pakistanis start against quite week teams especially those who debuted in last two years. They look like million dollars as the skill gap is huge between established teams and those are in fringes. Pakistan has larger numbers matches against depleted WI, SRL and ZIM in the last few years. Any other top teams when they come across againnst such teams field their b teams. Pakistan has always fielded full fledged team with one or two newbees. So fans should give enouetime before they hype players based on these performance. Only player who seems to be world class in last few years is Babar. He himself is not yet worth all the hype around him. So go easy and you will not be disappointed

 

[Usman Chadda]

It is true for some of these players. However, quite often they get to play against weak opposition early on (since we play a lot of cricket against weak teams), get overhyped by our rabid fans and end up getting exposed against quality opposition.

In other cases they cash on beginner's luck and fluke a few performances against good teams before they get worked out. Out of this list, Hasan is the only one who has regressed because of superstar syndrome. Others were overrated or simply got exposed with time.

Also, a bit too soon to put Abbas here. His success against disciplined batting is questionable, but perhaps we should wait for another 2-3 matches before adding him here.

Right, let’s see:

Umar Akmal - destroyed an attack of probably the fastest bowling attack that played together (Tait, Nannes and Johnson), took on Shane Bond in his debut test series and murdered Peter Siddle when he was on a rampage against Pakistan in Australia. Took on a peak Malinga and destroyed him in Sri Lanka in his debut series. Played a few handy knocks, but regressed year after year until he was humiliated and called out on his unprofessional ways as an international cricketer.

Sohaib Maqsood - played two absolute blinders against a bowling attack of Steyn, Morkel, Philander and McLaren. That’s not a bad start at all. Played pretty well against Australia a year later, and played a few handy knocks here and there. As with Akmal, regressed at an alarming rate until he deserved to be thrown out for slogging pretty much every innings.

Muhammad Amir - nothing needs to be said. Even in his comeback series against NZ, took out the middle-order by himself in the 1st ODI he played. Ripped India apart in the first game he played against them, and ofcourse the match-winning CT spell which brought on worldwide praise. Has been average since then.

Nasir Jamshed - was sublime on his debut in Asia Cup 2008 and was equally as great in his comeback where he was hitting the likes of Starc and Cummins wherever he wanted. An innings of the highest quality in the first game of T20WC 2012 against New Zealand was also a highlight. I believe he took on a world-class LOI spinner in Vettori and dispatched him everywhere. Just absolutely regressed at an alarming rate, until he was a walking wicket in pretty much every game. A player who was destroying a young, fiery Starc couldn’t buy a run against Tendai Chatara in 2013

Junaid Khan - Sensational spells against India in India and South Africa in South Africa. Also destroyed Sri Lanka in UAE with a peak Sangakkara and a pretty good Jayawardene. Just lost it completely in helpful conditions in the CT 2013, and has been decent to average in recent times. Nothing close to the bowler he was when he was leading Pakistan’s bowling attack in 2012-13.

Shadab Khan - breakthrough series was wonderful, with T20 champions West Indies ripped apart by the lad in their own den. Made Kieron Pollard look like an absolute fool. Struggles to pick up wickets against Afghanistan nowadays. Wonderful start as a batsman, scored attractive runs against Broad and Anderson in difficult conditions. Played a few handy knocks in New Zealand, when our top 6 were making a fool of themselves as usual. An outrageous upper cut off Lockie Ferguson comes to mind, when Pakistan was in all sorts of trouble. This same player struggled to get the ball outside the circle in the Asia Cup against Mashrafe Mortaza )

Sami Aslam - possibly made the most impressive debut for a Pakistani opener in difficult conditions against Broad and Anderson. The judgment of off-stump was so impeccable, you would say this was a seasoned player of a few years of international experience. Made a sparkling 90 odd against NZ in very difficult conditions, when everyone else (including esteemed legends YK and Misbah) were falling around him like a pack of cards. Just regressed at an alarming rate and couldn’t get bat on ball, even against West Indies in the UAE.

I’m probably being unfair on Muhammad Abbas, but what I saw today was a bowler under severe pressure due to the hype created around his return to the Test side. I hope he is mentally strong enough to come back and perform well.

Pretty much everyone, except Rizwan, played pretty well against good opposition. Some even in their own den. And then their careers eventually just nose-dived. Stuff like this doesn’t happen much anywhere else. The number of players we lose to bad development is astounding.

 

[Tusker]

I’m beginning to think Pakistan players don’t really react too well to hype or added pressure that comes with good performances. Time and again we have seen our players absolutely flop, after they have shown some amount of talent. They hit the scene and are lauded with praise left, right and centre, and then proceed to crash and burn, and eventually either disappear or hang on to the team with just enough performances to keep them in the team.

There’s a long list in the recent line of players that have unfortunately succumbed to this. Yes you can say teams work them out, but that stands true for pretty much every other team and their players doesn’t it? They go from strength to strength and our players either get too complacent or just regress so bad, that their initial burst is too good to be true.

Umar Akmal
Sohaib Maqsood
Muhammad Amir
Hasan Ali
Nasir Jamshed
Muhammad Rizwan
Junaid Khan
Shadab Khan
Sami Aslam
And now Muhammad Abbas

I’m missing some names for sure, but those are prime examples of lack of player development. It’s as if they start believing they are the only ones playing the opposition and either try too hard or just stop believing in their skills.

These players need a psychiatrist. We have a massive coaching staff with the team, but a psychiatrist is absolutely necessary. The mental weakness of our boys needs work and something is seriously going horribly wrong, which holds them back and doesn’t let them come close to the performances of their initial burst.

It is unlikely that soo many players have mental weakness. What is more likely the case is that they were not good enough to sustain their skill levels or did not have that extra bit to keep improving or that they were not good enough. It takes a different breed of players to survive the brutal and arduous grind of modern day non-stop Intl cricket.

 

[Savak]

Its very simple, your talent might bring you in the team, might even bring in early accolades and attention, but its not going to keep you there forever. Eventually teams work you out and how you counter your weak areas and the hard work, yards you put in will extend your career.

 

[Usman Chadda]

It is unlikely that soo many players have mental weakness. What is more likely the case is that they were not good enough to sustain their skill levels or did not have that extra bit to keep improving or that they were not good enough. It takes a different breed of players to survive the brutal and arduous grind of modern day non-stop Intl cricket.

Why do we see it in Pakistan cricket? I doubt there is any other team, that has lost so many players with magnificent initial bursts. Infact players in other teams, perform at an average level and some go on to become absolute stars. Idher ulta hisaab chal raha hai.

AB De Villiers was struggling against rubbish trundlers like Kabir Ali and Matthew Hoggard in his debut series at home. Nothing close to the player he eventually became. Compare his start to Umar Akmal or even Sohaib Maqsood, and tell me what I’m saying is not true.

Professional cricketers don’t lose their mojo at such an alarming rate, as recent Pakistan players have.

 

[Savak]

Right, let’s see:

Umar Akmal - destroyed an attack of probably the fastest bowling attack that played together (Tait, Nannes and Johnson), took on Shane Bond in his debut test series and murdered Peter Siddle when he was on a rampage against Pakistan in Australia. Took on a peak Malinga and destroyed him in Sri Lanka in his debut series. Played a few handy knocks, but regressed year after year until he was humiliated and called out on his unprofessional ways as an international cricketer.

Sohaib Maqsood - played two absolute blinders against a bowling attack of Steyn, Morkel, Philander and McLaren. That’s not a bad start at all. Played pretty well against Australia a year later, and played a few handy knocks here and there. As with Akmal, regressed at an alarming rate until he deserved to be thrown out for slogging pretty much every innings.

Muhammad Amir - nothing needs to be said. Even in his comeback series against NZ, took out the middle-order by himself in the 1st ODI he played. Ripped India apart in the first game he played against them, and ofcourse the match-winning CT spell which brought on worldwide praise. Has been average since then.

Nasir Jamshed - was sublime on his debut in Asia Cup 2008 and was equally as great in his comeback where he was hitting the likes of Starc and Cummins wherever he wanted. An innings of the highest quality in the first game of T20WC 2012 against New Zealand was also a highlight. I believe he took on a world-class LOI spinner in Vettori and dispatched him everywhere. Just absolutely regressed at an alarming rate, until he was a walking wicket in pretty much every game. A player who was destroying a young, fiery Starc couldn’t buy a run against Tendai Chatara in 2013

Junaid Khan - Sensational spells against India in India and South Africa in South Africa. Also destroyed Sri Lanka in UAE with a peak Sangakkara and a pretty good Jayawardene. Just lost it completely in helpful conditions in the CT 2013, and has been decent to average in recent times. Nothing close to the bowler he was when he was leading Pakistan’s bowling attack in 2012-13.

Shadab Khan - breakthrough series was wonderful, with T20 champions West Indies ripped apart by the lad in their own den. Made Kieron Pollard look like an absolute fool. Struggles to pick up wickets against Afghanistan nowadays. Wonderful start as a batsman, scored attractive runs against Broad and Anderson in difficult conditions. Played a few handy knocks in New Zealand, when our top 6 were making a fool of themselves as usual. An outrageous upper cut off Lockie Ferguson comes to mind, when Pakistan was in all sorts of trouble. This same player struggled to get the ball outside the circle in the Asia Cup against Mashrafe Mortaza )

Sami Aslam - possibly made the most impressive debut for a Pakistani opener in difficult conditions against Broad and Anderson. The judgment of off-stump was so impeccable, you would say this was a seasoned player of a few years of international experience. Made a sparkling 90 odd against NZ in very difficult conditions, when everyone else (including esteemed legends YK and Misbah) were falling around him like a pack of cards. Just regressed at an alarming rate and couldn’t get bat on ball, even against West Indies in the UAE.

I’m probably being unfair on Muhammad Abbas, but what I saw today was a bowler under severe pressure due to the hype created around his return to the Test side. I hope he is mentally strong enough to come back and perform well.

Pretty much everyone, except Rizwan, played pretty well against good opposition. Some even in their own den. And then their careers eventually just nose-dived. Stuff like this doesn’t happen much anywhere else. The number of players we lose to bad development is astounding.

You ask the players in the 90's and they would always vouch for the fact that Wasim, Waqar would work harder than anybody in the nets on their skills, fitness, if they didn't they would eventually have ended up like Amir, Wahab, Junaid Khan and co.

 

[Usman Chadda]

You ask the players in the 90's and they would always vouch for the fact that Wasim, Waqar would work harder than anybody in the nets on their skills, fitness, if they didn't they would eventually have ended up like Amir, Wahab, Junaid Khan and co.

These players definitely need to own up to their own lack of ambition. But how the heck does NO ONE have ambition anymore? Why was YK the last player to have any?

There is something seriously wrong with the management in Pakistan cricket right now. We have talent, we have quality but it fizzles out at an alarming rate due to one reason or the other, while other teams’ players with mediocre starts go on to become superstars and household international names.

 

[gazza619]

The players you have mentioned in your long list will struggle to get into Pakistan team of 80s or 90s.

Pakistan is going through a rather dry phase. I say bring back international cricket at home (2020 is the year), let kids watch cricket again and inspire the next generation. I think we may have to witness 5 more years of average performances. Hopefully things will pick up. Dont worry our kids only play cricket and you dont need to invent a space station on Mars to find 11 quality players.

 

[Usman Chadda]

The players you have mentioned in your long list will struggle to get into Pakistan team of 80s or 90s.

Pakistan is going through a rather dry phase. I say bring back international cricket at home (2020 is the year), let kids watch cricket again and inspire the next generation. I think we may have to witness 5 more years of average performances. Hopefully things will pick up. Dont worry our kids only play cricket and you dont need to invent a space station on Mars to find 11 quality players.

That’s because the players from 80s and 90s went on to become household names and successful cricketers.

There has to be a reason why none of the upcoming players have any ambition to become as successful as the guys in the 80s and 90s.

 

[kingusama92]

Very harsh on Abbas. He's coming back from an injury in the middle of a Test series.

As for the others, there are varying reasons...

Chosen on Recent Domestic Form Not Long-Term Performances

Sohaib Maqsood (can also fit in the next category)
Sami Aslam (probably should have got a longer run in ODIs as that's his main format)
Nasir Jamshed (can also fit in the next category)

Unprofessional and Unfit

Umar Akmal

Injuries

Junaid Khan

Young Prospects Going Through Natural Development Phase

Shadab Khan
Hasan Ali (he's still young and dealing with his first bout of bad form)

This category is important because you can't lump young players in the same group as older comparables. There's a learning curve and there will be dips in form. It's quite rare for prospects to grow in a consistent upwards trajectory especially in such a volatile setup.

Legitimately Below Par

Muhammad Amir (the spot-fixing ban likely has taken away his true potential)
Muhammad Rizwan

 

[Tusker]

Why do we see it in Pakistan cricket? I doubt there is any other team, that has lost so many players with magnificent initial bursts. Infact players in other teams, perform at an average level and some go on to become absolute stars. Idher ulta hisaab chal raha hai.

AB De Villiers was struggling against rubbish trundlers like Kabir Ali and Matthew Hoggard in his debut series at home. Nothing close to the player he eventually became. Compare his start to Umar Akmal or even Sohaib Maqsood, and tell me what I’m saying is not true.

Professional cricketers don’t lose their mojo at such an alarming rate, as recent Pakistan players have.

you will find such players in almost all teams you just don't realize it. The English team over the yearss perhaps has produced such players the most. No better examplles than Graeme Hick, Mark Ramprakash , Devon Malcolm, Tufnell, etc etc.

In the case of ABD the mgmt recognized that there was obviously loads of talent to work with and credit to the SA team mgmt and senior players to work on ABD and give him a long rope ( Similar situation with Rohit Sharma who still does not have a permanent spot in the Test team ) . There is ofcourse the small matter of ABD's thorough professionalism and work ethics which is a part of the player skill-set IMO.

 

[JattMaula]

you will find such players in almost all teams you just don't realize it. The English team over the yearss perhaps has produced such players the most. No better examplles than Graeme Hick, Mark Ramprakash , Devon Malcolm, Tufnell, etc etc.

In the case of ABD the mgmt recognized that there was obviously loads of talent to work with and credit to the SA team mgmt and senior players to work on ABD and give him a long rope ( Similar situation with Rohit Sharma who still does not have a permanent spot in the Test team ) . There is ofcourse the small matter of ABD's thorough professionalism and work ethics which is a part of the player skill-set IMO.

Work Ethic is a part of skillset required for long term success. Talent can only take you so far.

 

[Sin Nombre]

The players you have mentioned in your long list will struggle to get into Pakistan team of 80s or 90s.

Pakistan is going through a rather dry phase. I say bring back international cricket at home (2020 is the year), let kids watch cricket again and inspire the next generation. I think we may have to witness 5 more years of average performances. Hopefully things will pick up. Dont worry our kids only play cricket and you dont need to invent a space station on Mars to find 11 quality players.

Agreed.

Pakistan is a one-sport country and has the population to get competitive again.

PCB is going the right direction by organizing more A-tours.

Why not send more players to play in county cricket or even the lower divisions?

 

[Savak]

you will find such players in almost all teams you just don't realize it. The English team over the yearss perhaps has produced such players the most. No better examplles than Graeme Hick, Mark Ramprakash , Devon Malcolm, Tufnell, etc etc.

In the case of ABD the mgmt recognized that there was obviously loads of talent to work with and credit to the SA team mgmt and senior players to work on ABD and give him a long rope ( Similar situation with Rohit Sharma who still does not have a permanent spot in the Test team ) . There is ofcourse the small matter of ABD's thorough professionalism and work ethics which is a part of the player skill-set IMO.

ABD had a lot of talent which never left him, but early on in his career he had a very bad habit of throwing away his wicket after getting to 50 onwards, one time day in England the same thing happened and Graeme Smith gave ABD a piece of his mind in front of everyone in the dressing room where he told him that he now seriously needs to back his talent with some serious numbers and repay the faith the team management and selectors had shown with him. His career never looked back since.

 

[Junaids]

It is unlikely that soo many players have mental weakness. What is more likely the case is that they were not good enough to sustain their skill levels or did not have that extra bit to keep improving or that they were not good enough. It takes a different breed of players to survive the brutal and arduous grind of modern day non-stop Intl cricket.

I agree, but I don't think they did all decline.

On that list, only Umar Akmal and Mohammad Amir ever sustained any level of Test performance outside Asia. The rest are just a bunch of overhyped nobodies, although there is still time for some of them to have a good career.

I will get slaughtered for this, but I think that there is a deeper cause of Pakistan underperforming, which relates to the increased piousness and conservatism of the society, or at least the national cricket team.

When you start to base your world view more on faith than hard work or science it may be fine in your personal existence, but it rarely translates to sporting success. There is open discussion within Brazil about whether evangelical Christianity has led some star football players to neglect the basics of sporting preparation and to underperform.

There are obvious exceptions to this, with lots of devout men and women attaining sporting success. But it very much seems to me that Pakistan's success in Test cricket for the last forty years is inversely proportional to the number of beards on display.

I'm sorry if that sounds bigoted, it's not meant to. I freely admit that I've never been to Pakistan and while I do respect the faith of all people, I just wonder whether Pakistan's declining fortunes are a reflection of an increasingly pious society.

This is one of those posts where I'd love to be proved wrong! And I fully accept that this post may be moderated.

But this is a thread about mental preparation and response to adversity. And I think that faith is an important component of that, and not always in a good way.

 

[ManFan]

I agree, but I don't think they did all decline.

On that list, only Umar Akmal and Mohammad Amir ever sustained any level of Test performance outside Asia. The rest are just a bunch of overhyped nobodies, although there is still time for some of them to have a good career.

I will get slaughtered for this, but I think that there is a deeper cause of Pakistan underperforming, which relates to the increased piousness and conservatism of the society, or at least the national cricket team.

When you start to base your world view more on faith than hard work or science it may be fine in your personal existence, but it rarely translates to sporting success. There is open discussion within Brazil about whether evangelical Christianity has led some star football players to neglect the basics of sporting preparation and to underperform.

There are obvious exceptions to this, with lots of devout men and women attaining sporting success. But it very much seems to me that Pakistan's success in Test cricket for the last forty years is inversely proportional to the number of beards on display.

I'm sorry if that sounds bigoted, it's not meant to. I freely admit that I've never been to Pakistan and while I do respect the faith of all people, I just wonder whether Pakistan's declining fortunes are a reflection of an increasingly pious society.

This is one of those posts where I'd love to be proved wrong! And I fully accept that this post may be moderated.

But this is a thread about mental preparation and response to adversity. And I think that faith is an important component of that, and not always in a good way.

Going by that logic, wouldn’t any men of faith not warrant an international cricket career be it a devout Hindu, Sikh, Catholic, or Protestant?

A beard or faith does not particularly affect your performance.

For example, Yousuf Youhanna, now known as Mohammad Yousuf, converted from Christianity to Islam around 2004-2005.

He than broke the 30 year-old record for most Test runs scored in a year the following year.

Now was his new found form a result of his growing mane of facial hair or new found faith?

I think the answer lies more so in his cricket bat than his shaving system.

The majority of the new school of Pakistani cricketers are from villages and therefore not well-versed in matters of athletic fitness and nutrition.

They view cricket as a source of disbanding their poverty stricken lives and once they break in, they are not accustomed to the professional challenges required.

A similar arguement can be used for African-Americans who come from poor urban centers and become rich after being drafted into the NFL or NBA.

Perfect example is Antoine Walker; sixth pick in the 1996 NBA Draft and who after retirement, filed for bankruptcy despite having earned $100 million dollars throughout his career!

That’s why Muhammad Asif could not stop his drug-fiendish activities or why at the prospect of a few extra dollars despite having the world at their feet, multiple (Saleem, Butt, the entire 90’s squad with the exception of Sohail) succumb to temptation.

The old school of Pakistani cricketers came from well-fed, upper middle-class families who attended high end English schools and often attended them abroad.

In conclusion, it is a combination of impoverished upbringing, lack of societal etiquette (simple things such as communication or behavior), and not having the desire to achieve beyond a spot in the team.

The last point being the reason that even a well-educated, well-polished, performing Pakistani player such as Ramiz Raja, cannot be more than a mediocore cricketer in terms of overall cricket standing.

 

[Mamoon]

[MENTION=1650]Usman Chadda[/MENTION]

My point is that apart from Hasan and perhaps Shadab, the other players did not regress because they started to believe in their own hype and became too big-headed.

Some were never good enough and cashed on beginner’s luck, others did not improve and eventually got worked out. The likes of Junaid etc. have been hampered a bit by injuries as well, and I think Amir is mentally shot because of the ban.

Apart from Hasan and to an extent Shadab, none of them have performed any stupid antics.

 

[Shandarchowka]

Players often get found out after a season or two. It takes good players to figure out plan B once that happens. Just look at how Babar continues to score runs. Coaches play important role in helping the players in these situations.

 

[Varun]

It says something when every Pakistani player - batsman or bowler - hyped on PP has played 12 international games total.

 

[Gullycricket]

An exception has been Shan Masood.Mediocre player who went back and worked on his short comings. Still too early to judge but he has looked good.The major reason has been that in this age of technology teams work you out quick(compared to 80's or 90's) and if u dont work on ur weaknesses you will never make it.Most Pakistani players simply don't have that hunger to succeed after breaking through

 

[Usman Chadda]

[MENTION=1650]Usman Chadda[/MENTION]

My point is that apart from Hasan and perhaps Shadab, the other players did not regress because they started to believe in their own hype and became too big-headed.

Some were never good enough and cashed on beginner’s luck, others did not improve and eventually got worked out. The likes of Junaid etc. have been hampered a bit by injuries as well, and I think Amir is mentally shot because of the ban.

Apart from Hasan and to an extent Shadab, none of them have performed any stupid antics.

My point is Pakistan players experience beginner's luck quite regularly, compared to other teams and their players. One or two players might be a victim to beginner's luck syndrome, but four or five? Nah, you are smart enough to figure out there is something seriously wrong with the management of our players rather than term everything as a fluke.

 

[Buffet]

I often see 3 new players coming and PPers will start claiming that they are best unit in world and all that. When you point out lack of decent sample size and rankings, then arguments comes that this is different team. These are new players and that's why they are not among the top in ranking. They will be soon at top and so on...

After some time, they don't perform as expected. Then we see few new names and the same logic gets applied.

It's simple. If you are good enough, you will perform consistently well for a period. Till you do that everyone should refrain from hyping too much.

 

[Buffet]

My above comments are bit off topic and doesn't address the OP, but I thought it's not totally off topic.

 

[Varun]

I often see 3 new players coming and PPers will start claiming that they are best unit in world and all that. When you point out lack of decent sample size and rankings, then arguments comes that this is different team. These are new players and that's why they are not among the top in ranking. They will be soon at top and so on...

After some time, they don't perform as expected. Then we see few new names and the same logic gets applied.

It's simple. If you are good enough, you will perform consistently well for a period. Till you do that everyone should refrain from hyping too much.

Truer words were never spoken.

After all these years of watching this cycle, I would urge Pakistani fans to not get excited about any player - batsman, bowler or keeper - until he has played 10 Tests or 25 ODIs minimum. Beginner's luck is a serious thing with their players, and unfortunately, so is the slippery slide right after.

 

[Usman Chadda]

Truer words were never spoken.

After all these years of watching this cycle, I would urge Pakistani fans to not get excited about any player - batsman, bowler or keeper - until he has played 10 Tests or 25 ODIs minimum. Beginner's luck is a serious thing with their players, and unfortunately, so is the slippery slide right after.

Exactly my point. Pakistani players have outstanding debuts followed by a free-fall in fortunes. It's no co-incidence that their regression happens as soon as they start playing a few matches as permanent fixtures of the team.

Yes teams work players out, but the player should still be able to perform at even 75% of what he displayed on his debut. Some of the cases have regressed beyond recognition.

 

[babajee]

Shadab showed he still has it with the bat. [MENTION=1650]Usman Chadda[/MENTION]

 

[saeedhk]

Some people said Fakhar was a better batsman than Rohit and Warner. Lol

 

[Hasan123]

I think there are some issues mentally but 1 thing I have noticed is how our players don't improve after early success. For instance Fakhar has been worked out, he needs to make changes but he hasn't shown any signs or implemented any of those changes. There are plenty examples of this over the years.

We need to ensure our players are always improving.

 

[Abdullah]

I think there are some issues mentally but 1 thing I have noticed is how our players don't improve after early success. For instance Fakhar has been worked out, he needs to make changes but he hasn't shown any signs or implemented any of those changes. There are plenty examples of this over the years.

We need to ensure our players are always improving.

A bit early to say that. We will need to see how he goes in the odis

 

[Hasan123]

A bit early to say that. We will need to see how he goes in the odis

I'm not saying he can't improve or that he doesn't have the desire to improve. Its worrying that teams know where to bowl to him and he has no answer.

 

[Hasan2K8]

Pakistan players been mentally very weak even more so since Misbah days as LOI captain, post 2012. They very often give in too easily to any sort of good amount of pressure. Back in the days, Md Yusuf, Yunus, Inzi, Anwar were more solid, batting line up was stronger. I’ve noticed during last Asia cup against BD, RRR was not big at all, but they easily gave in and got bogged down and panicked, couldn’t fight out the pressure applied by good disciplined bowling by BD.