Not making players accountable for their poor performances breeds mediocrity

[Amjid Javed]

So after a 4 year cycle between 2015 and 2019 we have seen overall a decline in the quality of pakistani cricket even further. Players/Coaching staff/selectors failing to step up up to the mark and lead from the front.

So the coach Mickey Arthur rightly gets the sack as our Test team performances were pathetic, our ODI form was pathetic as well apart from living off a Champions trophy win. All other bilateral series against decent opposition we got well beaten pretty much.

Only in T20 cricket did we see consistent performances.

Inzi was our most recent chairmen of selectors and his selections were a mixed bag, seemingly intent on picking senior players who clearly were not good enough no longer in ODIs or Test cricket. Also the muddle indecision on selecting a sqaud for world cup and then making last minute changes showed no real thought had been put into selections. Knowing he would like be sacked he stepped down.

So what about the players? In ODIs hafeez/Malik have gone purely based on age/Retirements and probably would have been retained by misbah and co if this was not the case. No players have been made accountable for constant poor peformances in bilateral series before the world cup or a mediocre performance in it. Pakistan "narrowly" Misses out on semi-finals. Lets be honest they failed simple Facts. Yet no players have been dropped, asked to go away and earn a spot back in team. Start of a new 4 year cycle, time to blood new players and see if they can perform, if after 2 years they ant you still have another 2 years to try others. Instead we get captain and co retained because they have lost a couple of kilos and have reduced there portion sizes on the burgers and Biryanis.

The test team was always going to be in transition with Misbah/YK going, but failure of Asad/Azhar/Sarfaraz to name a few to step up has been there for all to see. Losing to SL who have done well in UAE isnt to much of a shock. But pathetic loss to NZ and then abject gutless showing in SA seems to have been forgotten as supposedly players are now much better prepared for test cricket ahead.

So players in team will play knowing mediocre performances will be tolerated, no real pressure been put on them to better themselves of stand up of the team. Seems all the blame for a mediocre couple of years in all formats is all down to coach and chief selector. I dont see any forward planning for test championship or ODI formats. An uninspiring period ahead with pakistani cricket with no accountability for the players a perfect environment to breed mediocrity.

 

[HappyWarsFan]

Could have done better in ODIs. But in tests wait and see until squad is annlunced. Until then, we can't make any judgement.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Could have done better in ODIs. But in tests wait and see until squad is annlunced. Until then, we can't make any judgement.

You really think that any of tried and tested failures from last few years especially with the bat are going to be dropped?

 

[Khan12]

Because this is not a laboratory so only TTF's can come back as they have ticked some boxes prior to getting selected.

 

[Khan12]

You really think that any of tried and tested failures from last few years especially with the bat are going to be dropped?

sick and tired of seeing hafeez, asad and sarfraz getting selected after failing all the time.

 

[Kroll]

"Seniority" trumps accountability. Pakistan logic.

 

[barah_admi]

So after a 4 year cycle between 2015 and 2019 we have seen overall a decline in the quality of pakistani cricket even further. Players/Coaching staff/selectors failing to step up up to the mark and lead from the front.

So the coach Mickey Arthur rightly gets the sack as our Test team performances were pathetic, our ODI form was pathetic as well apart from living off a Champions trophy win. All other bilateral series against decent opposition we got well beaten pretty much.

Only in T20 cricket did we see consistent performances.

Inzi was our most recent chairmen of selectors and his selections were a mixed bag, seemingly intent on picking senior players who clearly were not good enough no longer in ODIs or Test cricket. Also the muddle indecision on selecting a sqaud for world cup and then making last minute changes showed no real thought had been put into selections. Knowing he would like be sacked he stepped down.

So what about the players? In ODIs hafeez/Malik have gone purely based on age/Retirements and probably would have been retained by misbah and co if this was not the case. No players have been made accountable for constant poor peformances in bilateral series before the world cup or a mediocre performance in it. Pakistan "narrowly" Misses out on semi-finals. Lets be honest they failed simple Facts. Yet no players have been dropped, asked to go away and earn a spot back in team. Start of a new 4 year cycle, time to blood new players and see if they can perform, if after 2 years they ant you still have another 2 years to try others. Instead we get captain and co retained because they have lost a couple of kilos and have reduced there portion sizes on the burgers and Biryanis.

The test team was always going to be in transition with Misbah/YK going, but failure of Asad/Azhar/Sarfaraz to name a few to step up has been there for all to see. Losing to SL who have done well in UAE isnt to much of a shock. But pathetic loss to NZ and then abject gutless showing in SA seems to have been forgotten as supposedly players are now much better prepared for test cricket ahead.

So players in team will play knowing mediocre performances will be tolerated, no real pressure been put on them to better themselves of stand up of the team. Seems all the blame for a mediocre couple of years in all formats is all down to coach and chief selector. I dont see any forward planning for test championship or ODI formats. An uninspiring period ahead with pakistani cricket with no accountability for the players a perfect environment to breed mediocrity.

The ODI squad is in a FAR better place now than it was in 2015. Shaheen, Shadab, Ali, Fakhar, Babar, Imam have all shown world level qualities. Guys like Gohar, Umer kHan, Talat and plenty of others hanging on the peripheries of selections are all good signs. Beating England AND New Zealand in the WC shows the team can learn from its weaknesses.

The test side is the issue here and that was always going to be a problem. There have been no replacements for Misbah, YOunis and going back farther, Ajmal, Asif and young Amir. The key now is to have 2-3 spinners in and around the international squad, to groom promising fast bowlers into rugged pros and in all honesty, a revamped batting line up with a different captain/keeper.

 

[Hasan123]

Sarfraz and Fakhar should have been dropped after the WC. To be honest we needed to make more changes but we have just stuck with familiar players. We might beat Sri Lanka but I would not expect much from this same team against top teams.

 

[Pakhs]

If the players are not good enough they are simply not good enough. Everything else is ifs and buts. However before sacking someone you always have to see what else is available and in this case so far not much.

 

[Pakhs]

Sarfraz and Fakhar should have been dropped after the WC. To be honest we needed to make more changes but we have just stuck with familiar players. We might beat Sri Lanka but I would not expect much from this same team against top teams.

Sarfraz is the best around WK in Pakistan and no amount of this and that will change it for now. There is under 19 captain who I hear is good and they will do well to groom him to eventually replace Sarfraz in two years time.

 

[Hasan123]

Sarfraz is the best around WK in Pakistan and no amount of this and that will change it for now. There is under 19 captain who I hear is good and they will do well to groom him to eventually replace Sarfraz in two years time.

Sarfraz is rubbish. Look at his record in the last few years. If there is no keeper who can do better , we may as well close domestic cricket down.

 

[Pakhs]

Sarfraz is rubbish. Look at his record in the last few years. If there is no keeper who can do better , we may as well close domestic cricket down.

You are welcome to put forward that suggestion. But thats not how life works, he will keep his place until someone better comes around.

 

[Hasan123]

You are welcome to put forward that suggestion. But thats not how life works, he will keep his place until someone better comes around.

No player in Pakistan is capable of averaging 30?

Interesting.


If you think no one is better than that, don’t be upset when this team is called average.

 

[Pakhs]

No player in Pakistan is capable of averaging 30?

Interesting.


If you think no one is better than that, don’t be upset when this team is called average.

No keeper currently given the circumstances are exactly the same would do any better. Anyway no point crying over it they need to groom someone else to take over in two years time.