Our players have accepted mediocrity

[Usman Chadda]

Major issue. They are insecure. They are mentally weak. They are timid. And no, whatever anyone here says, it's certainly not because they lack skill.

Our players have this weird comfort. There is no player besides Babar Azam in my opinion, who wants to be the best. They are all content on doing the bare minimum to stay in the team and get a central contract. There is a reason why they stop improving as cricketers.

Look at the team we have in Australia right now. Meek and timid, with no one to rally the troops when the going is tough. You cannot win in Australia or South Africa with a defeatist mindset, since you are inferior in terms of skill levels compared to the opposition. You have to show grit and resolve, and that only comes when you have the will to test yourself to the limit.

We are producing the most mentally weak cricketers right now, and that has to change. Our 90s team lost aswell, but they had strong characters built from a cut-throat environment. One thing I do admire about that team was they kept fighting till the last delivery, and absolutely demolished the opposition once they were on top. The likes of Azhar Ali would squander those opportunities and accept defeat, with the label of 'learning process'.

Pakistan cricket has to tackle this major issue. We are losing players to defeatist mindsets, and there will come a time soon where these guys would be insecure even against the likes of Bangladesh or Afghanistan. We need to address this issue with a well-reputed psychiatrist. He/she needs to work with the players on a regular basis to have them in the right frame of mind.

Discuss.

 

[Wasim_Waqar]

I fully agree...

Watch this space about Pakistan and psychiatry...

 

[Nikhil_cric]

They are not good enough to be among the top teams in tests . It's a skill issue

 

[HappyWarsFan]

Its a skill issue.

 

[HappyWarsFan]

There is no legends in our team.

 

[Sir-fraz]

This is what happens when for the past decade we have been celebrating loses and induvidual milestones.

They have a losers mentality, they have lost the will to win, in fact they dont know how to win. The script has been in writing ever since misbah took over and became the head of the writers guild.

This will go on until misbah is at the helm. Nothing will change. He just doesnt have the cricketing IQ to bring that change.

He did business but he doesnt know how to risks. We saw that when he mentioned azhar as his replacement captain in odis.

And now when he made him the test captain. Always taking steps backwards never forwards.

He has moulded azhar and shafiq in his own loser's mentality mind state.

On top of that the way pcb is being handled nothing will change.

Who has been fired since the new regime? No one.

What has changed? Even the new employees are incapable and incompetent when it comes to managing a corporation.

 

[Usman Chadda]

They are not good enough to be among the top teams in tests . It's a skill issue

How do you define skill, specially when it comes to international cricket. It's very easy to say 'lack of skill', but it's a daft statement considering the actual reasons behind this downfall.

 

[sweep_shot]

Pakistan forgot how to play fearless cricket. They forgot about being "cornered tigers".

This is what is missing.

 

[Usman Chadda]

There is no legends in our team.

The legends we produced were not legends from day one. The best cricketer in Pakistan's history was a mediocre trundler once.

 

[Markhor]

I don't know what to say anymore, it's so discouraging to watch.

All we ask for is at least some fight.

 

[Shazzam]

This series is a fine example of it isn’t it? We got excuses coming in that this is a young bowling attack it will learn. It feels like instead of making improvements on the mentality we got the team management thinking of excuses.

 

[Usman Chadda]

I don't know what to say anymore, it's so discouraging to watch.

All we ask for is at least some fight.

We are led by a player who was content on retiring from LOI cricket, rather than fight to win his opening spot back. Sums it up really.

How do we expect him to inspire our team to fight is beyond me. Makes me feel downright dumb to be honest

 

[sjahmed23]

I blame our laid back culture for this

 

[Zaz]

I agree with the op The fact is that we have rewarded and celebrated medicority Azhar and Shafiq have played undisputed for the last 10 years without fear of being replaced for medicore returns This would never have happened in the 90s

Competition always drives players to keep striving to improve Our players have stopped improving since misbah gave them a permanent place in the team

 

[iRfaN_LA]

OP is spot on. Our current crop of players are mentally weak and insecure.

Pakistan team of the 90s and 2000s were risk takers, characters. Misbah has screwed us up completely. He is the worst thing to happen to Pakistan cricket. A true leader makes a big difference, we have losers leading us.

 

[King_Kohli]

I just saw highlights.
What the hell Haris Sohail doing with the bat..He didn't learn lesson from his first innings out.
poking in same way

 

[dildilpak]

Two things. One is tone from the top - Pakistan needs an aggressive leader like Imran Khan or Ganguly who had their team’s back & could inspire them to fight back. The other comes from being insecure about your own capability - if you are constantly trying to justify your place in the team because one bad performance can altogether get you thrown out, you will be never confident in your own skill . Also its not so easy in this age of social media - where the ex-cricketers & fans are waiting to pounce on you on the back of one bad performance - and that puts additional pressure on team management to drop/select certain players. I bet if our ex-greats faced this level of criticism or scrutiny they too would have wilted.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Pakistan have two options when they bat on day 4, be positive and think they can score big and make Aussies earn their wickets

Or they can just go out flash bat about for 20/30s and game will be over in 1st session.

Lets see how much hunger and pride team really has.

 

[Usman Chadda]

I just saw highlights.
What the hell Haris Sohail doing with the bat..He didn't learn lesson from his first innings out.
poking in same way

Haris Sohail is also a perfect example of a player comfortable in that little bubble of his. He has the technique to counter swing and seam. He has played some very good knocks at international level. You cannot do that if you don't have an iota of talent [MENTION=113824]Nikhil_cric[/MENTION]. You cannot thrash around someone as good as Trent Boult, if you do not have skill (for example).

However, Haris is struggling with the bounce here. He knew he would struggle, yet he has done nothing to rectify the issue. You cannot be the best until you TRY to be the best. He has to accept the responsibility himself, rather than be happy with the fact that people will end up blaming Mickey Arthur or Misbah-ul-haq for his lack of improvement. This is what's wrong with our cricketing culture now. Everyone from Wasim Khan to the PCB's maali gets blamed for Haris Sohail's lack of improvement, but Haris Sohail himself.

 

[Saj]

More of it to come I'm afraid with most youngsters just interested in playing in the PSL more than anything else.

 

[JaDed]

Pakistan forgot how to play fearless cricket. They forgot about being "cornered tigers".

This is what is missing.

If anything thats a phrase that haunts them a lot second to unpredictable one though.

 

[shariqnoor]

When you are short on skills, you naturally become insecure and mentally weak.

Apart from Babar Azam, no batter in the current Test has any skills required for international cricket.

The 90's time oozed talent and were immensely skilled from number 1 to 11. Therefore they weren't insecure and mentally shot down. They knew they could win from any situation because of the amount of skills they possessed. Never in a million years can our current team win from a situation where they need to take 7 wickets with only 15 runs required. Because nobody has the tools to do that. It's not just because they are mentally weak.

Until Pakistan produced 3 more quality batsmen and 3 genuinely wicket taking bowlers, Pakistan will remain a mediocre team.

 

[Usman Chadda]

Two things. One is tone from the top - Pakistan needs an aggressive leader like Imran Khan or Ganguly who had their team’s back & could inspire them to fight back. The other comes from being insecure about your own capability - if you are constantly trying to justify your place in the team because one bad performance can altogether get you thrown out, you will be never confident in your own skill . Also its not so easy in this age of social media - where the ex-cricketers & fans are waiting to pounce on you on the back of one bad performance - and that puts additional pressure on team management to drop/select certain players. I bet if our ex-greats faced this level of criticism or scrutiny they too would have wilted.

Very good point.

The role of media and fans has been an issue too, specially the media. Journalists or ex-players have their agendas, and they are basically waiting for a few players to fail before unleashing their vitriol. Just a few weeks back an idiot journalist sat on TV and bemoaned Fakhar Zaman not giving him a warm welcome. This is the kind of gutter journalism that is happening across our country. Our players don't have the common sense to stay away from social media either, specially on tours.

 

[Usman Chadda]

When you are short on skills, you naturally become insecure and mentally weak.

Apart from Babar Azam, no batter in the current Test has any skills required for international cricket.

The 90's time oozed talent and were immensely skilled from number 1 to 11. Therefore they weren't insecure and mentally shot down. They knew they could win from any situation because of the amount of skills they possessed. Never in a million years can our current team win from a situation where they need to take 7 wickets with only 15 runs required. Because nobody has the tools to do that. It's not just because they are mentally weak.

Until Pakistan produced 3 more quality batsmen and 3 genuinely wicket taking bowlers, Pakistan will remain a mediocre team.

Did every player from that 90s team start with a bang, or did they gradually improve to become the skilled cricketers we now remember them as? You want me to remind you how the likes of Saeed Anwar, Inzamam-ul-haq etc started? What's different was they were part of an environment where everyone was competitive. Heck a mediocre talent like Shahid Afridi found the resolve to score a 141 on a dust bowl in India. Or do you want to tell me Shahid Afridi was a superstar opening batsman for Test cricket, good enough to take Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh to the cleaners in India?

 

[RainStopsPlay]

I've been noticing your posts since Post-Asia Cup and you're coming back to the same point of players being mentally weak. Not only for the posts related to test cricket, but also for LOIs. I mean I remember how you used to thump your chest until the CT triumph lasted for few months and going gung-ho about how CT champs will beat India in Asia Cup, and you took a sudden turn soon after Pak got back to it's true form of being mediocre since that series. How long would you keep bringing this point about players being mentally weak for every single failure? It's been 2 years mate! Your excuse has only been this for all the LOI and test failures! Swallow the bitter pill that Pak is simply not good enough no matter how many excuses you bring about the psychology or skill or what XYZ player has done in some particular match. Ultimiately the bitter truth is Pak cricket is in shambles and it's not because of their mental toughness, they are simply NOT good enough.

 

[Muhammad Saad]

A combination of all but mostly skills, we have spinners who are darters, batsmen who can't accelerate, pacers who can't make the ball talk. Even in emerging side today both BD pacers were moving the ball even though they were slower compared to pak counterparts.

 

[geraltofrivia]

Pakistan is a mediocre team and their cricket is going the way of their hockey,

 

[Mueez]

You are bang on the money, brother.

They already think they have lost the match when things are not going well.

Tough situations make tough persons.

They have to convert these pressure situations into motivation which leads to match-winning performances.

It is all in the mindset.

 

[topspin]

Major issue. They are insecure. They are mentally weak. They are timid. And no, whatever anyone here says, it's certainly not because they lack skill.

Our players have this weird comfort. There is no player besides Babar Azam in my opinion, who wants to be the best. They are all content on doing the bare minimum to stay in the team and get a central contract. There is a reason why they stop improving as cricketers.

Look at the team we have in Australia right now. Meek and timid, with no one to rally the troops when the going is tough. You cannot win in Australia or South Africa with a defeatist mindset, since you are inferior in terms of skill levels compared to the opposition. You have to show grit and resolve, and that only comes when you have the will to test yourself to the limit.

We are producing the most mentally weak cricketers right now, and that has to change. Our 90s team lost aswell, but they had strong characters built from a cut-throat environment. One thing I do admire about that team was they kept fighting till the last delivery, and absolutely demolished the opposition once they were on top. The likes of Azhar Ali would squander those opportunities and accept defeat, with the label of 'learning process'.

Pakistan cricket has to tackle this major issue. We are losing players to defeatist mindsets, and there will come a time soon where these guys would be insecure even against the likes of Bangladesh or Afghanistan. We need to address this issue with a well-reputed psychiatrist. He/she needs to work with the players on a regular basis to have them in the right frame of mind.

Discuss.

Good post and certainly a refreshing change from the bashing of the 90s team.

 

[tyron_woodley]

you just don't have any more players that can deliver a phainta to the opposition.

 

[tyron_woodley]

on a serious note. Bowling talent is still mighty impressive. It's the batting that has been dreadful.

 

[marlonbrowndo]

Pakistan forgot how to play fearless cricket. They forgot about being "cornered tigers".

This is what is missing.

To be a cornered tiger, you have to be a tiger in the first place. These are kittens

 

[Kaka4pope]

guilty of being too nice? Isn’t going to change technical aspect but aggression can help with creating intensity - don’t mean batting per se, even fielding - the inner ring.

Oz commentators highlighting small things like not creating tension around the bat when Marnus was in the 80s/90s...Wade was finding Yasir harder over the wicket to begin with, why switch to round. Managed to get Warner and Smith out quickly, with lesser batsmen to come and didn’t make it uncomfortable enough. I don’t know if Azhar knows how to create pressure tbh...

MD Khan did say a while back that there wasn’t enough ‘stress’ in the FC game, where pressure situations are created and reacted to. Hopefully this will start to change.

On captaincy, bit pointless Babar being T20i captain, bit of an overstated format at country level, outside of WC. He should get the nod in ODIs, maybe Tests too - don’t think there’s a Fleming type around the corner. Shadab/Imad for the T20 gig.

 

[Extra_Cover]

This is a good thread and its about time we address this elephant in the room.

A culture in any place is driven from the top. Yes, Pakistan team's mindset is defeatist but before I go on in explaining this defeatist mindset I would want to cast everyone's minds back on the summer of 2017. This was the time when Pakistan won the Champions Trophy defeating India. From all the takeaways of that tournament the biggest takeaway was that Pakistan CAN win a global tournament. The win in that tournament instilled a mindset change in that set of players and that mindset was a winning mindset. From the top of my head I can list out following players that had winning mindset or as I say mindset of a champion.
- Sarfraz (for his captaincy)
- Fakhar (Pakistan's man of the series with the bat)
- Hasan Ali (Number 1 fast bowler at that time)
- Shadab Khan (teenage prodigy)
- Babar Azam (start of cementing a legacy that will last)
- Muhammad Aamir (big match, gun player)

If you add Imam and Shaheen to the above list we should be having a champion team for limited overs by now. So where exactly did we go wrong?

This is not a black and white answer as it contains multiple factors. I will list some of these which in my view led to the decline of this team post 2017 success.
- Overconfidence: This is a stigma that has been associated with every Pakistani regardless of cricket or not. We start feeling proud of our recent success that we kind of take it easy and not put in the effort that we previously put to achieve that success. I'm partly unsure as why was this issue not addressed then and there, I say this because we had Mickey Arthur at the helm who although did not have much international success but has a reputation of putting in necessary hours and time with players to address this. Had we addressed the overconfidence issue through some medical or psychological help then we would not have seen the decline of Hasan and Fakhar.
- PSL: As much as it contributed to the success of 2017 it was also easy cash cow for these established players now who relied on it for their personal financial health and took international cricket for granted.
- Lack of follow up cricket: PCB's marketing team or board at that time was not able to milk the success of 2017 and get series arranged. After being champions we were playing minnow teams mostly.
- Fans/media: As much as we say that there should be no political interference in cricket, I'm of the opinion the fans/media (especially) should not carry that much weight in cricket as much as they do in Pakistan cricket. Its very unfortunate to say that fans/media swings like a pendulum in Pakistan cricket, meaning if you have some bad outings they would rip into you and create such an environment that before that player steps on the field we already have fixated our opinion and surely this carries a massive mental block on the player too. We need to leave handling of things with PCB management, that is how professional bodies work.

Now let me get onto the topic of this discussion that is defeatist mentality. I agree with this, for me I believe that nowadays when a Pakistani player steps onto the field his main opposition is his replacement or batting/bowling partner rather than the real opposition. The player wants to outperform the next batsman/bowler rather than outperforming the opposition. This means if one opener went out for zero the other opener will be settled for 20 runs. This IS defeatist mentality.

I fear this mentality can only be addressed from the top. When Wasim Khan was bought into management by PCB I thought that here is the opportunity for change but in the face of Misbah/Waqar I don't see a face of change. Misbah/Waqar have unfortunately never been on winning/champion side so they don't really have that mentality. When I say mentality they are not fussed by defeats but rather look for positives in defeat rather than looking for negatives in a win. The even more worrying aspect is how this mentality can change the future of our cricket. At the moment if this mentality settles down deep within Babar, Imam and Shaheen they they will carry it on for a decade and eventually pass it onto next crop of youngsters. We need to avoid that situation.

It can be avoided though. I'm not the one to advocate anyone's unnecessary sacking so Misbah/Waqar combo should be given time. However, the immediate steps PCB should take going forward is to play home games in Pakistan, especially test cricket. PCB should go out of its way to organise as many matches year on year in Pakistan. Playing in Pakistan and winning in there is the only way to crawl out of a defeatist mentality. There are other ways to come out of a defeatist mentality too but this one is in the hands of PCB and should be action upon for sake of Pakistan cricket.

 

[JaDed]

on a serious note. Bowling talent is still mighty impressive. It's the batting that has been dreadful.

Bowling in modern era with so many coaches and videos that will analyze you to the core, they still have no common plans or the management is clueless.

Independent attitude is great for arts not pro team sports.

 

[sweep_shot]

I don't think it is a talent issue. A cricket crazy country like Pakistan doesn't have shortage of talent. The issue is that talent is not getting maximized. Players somehow bottle it up when they face a top quality opposition.

I think Pakistani players get too worked up during big games. They need to be relaxed and just focus on the process.

 

[tyron_woodley]

Bowling in modern era with so many coaches and videos that will analyze you to the core, they still have no common plans or the management is clueless.

Independent attitude is great for arts not pro team sports.

that's why guys like bumrah are dangerous because they are unpredictable. You just don't know what he will deliver.

shaheen has the potential to be that player for pakistan. Not sure about naseem.

 

[chacha kashmiri]

It’s a transitional phase
They have just lost a series to Sri lanka so confidence won’t be sky high

The players need backing and support especially when you can see some of the players are still adjusting to the longer format

Only Shan,azhar and yasir look capable of competing and they’re the players who haven’t been playing t20s and Odis
Pakistan need to develop specialist test batsmen who don’t have their eyes turned by the money and coverage of tournament cricket

Haris Sohail needs to be dropped from test cricket asap

The main talk before this tour was about azhar Ali and shafiq been over the hill and stopping youngsters coming through
I beg you tell me who is better than Asad and azhar in test cricket currently

There’s no younis khan sitting on the sidelines itching to play test cricket

 

[Titan24]

Two things. One is tone from the top - Pakistan needs an aggressive leader like Imran Khan or Ganguly who had their team’s back & could inspire them to fight back. The other comes from being insecure about your own capability - if you are constantly trying to justify your place in the team because one bad performance can altogether get you thrown out, you will be never confident in your own skill . Also its not so easy in this age of social media - where the ex-cricketers & fans are waiting to pounce on you on the back of one bad performance - and that puts additional pressure on team management to drop/select certain players. I bet if our ex-greats faced this level of criticism or scrutiny they too would have wilted.

Totally agree about the lack of aggressive leaders.

But, coming to the social media and overall media point I think that other cricketers especially Indian cricketers also face a lot of scrutiny in that regard but one should be mentally strong enough to deal with these.

 

[PakLFC]

They have not accepted anything when they are mediocre. I read the "talent spotter" thread but none of them players ever come through or are good enough. Us fans also talk up average players as the next great thing and are then left licking our wounds.

 

[tyron_woodley]

It’s a transitional phase
They have just lost a series to Sri lanka so confidence won’t be sky high

The players need backing and support especially when you can see some of the players are still adjusting to the longer format

Only Shan,azhar and yasir look capable of competing and they’re the players who haven’t been playing t20s and Odis
Pakistan need to develop specialist test batsmen who don’t have their eyes turned by the money and coverage of tournament cricket

Haris Sohail needs to be dropped from test cricket asap

The main talk before this tour was about azhar Ali and shafiq been over the hill and stopping youngsters coming through
I beg you tell me who is better than Asad and azhar in test cricket currently

There’s no younis khan sitting on the sidelines itching to play test cricket

dude they lost a series in t20. You are acting like they lost at home in a test series to a minnow.

The only loss at home that hurt alot was the n.z one.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

How do you define skill, specially when it comes to international cricket. It's very easy to say 'lack of skill', but it's a daft statement considering the actual reasons behind this downfall.

Well, i meant is skill for this particular format anyway. Or atleast the ability to to execute it over long periods of time. Your team doesn't have that. Not compared to the likes of Oz anyway.

 

[Junaids]

No.

This team is unbalanced by:

1. Five thirty-something has-beens who aren’t good enough to play at this level in Australian conditions.

2. Two teenage quicks who can’t bowl a full workload.

No wonder so many players are tentative. Misbah is fielding a Retirement Village masquerading as an international cricket team.

 

[JattMaula]

Accepting yourself is a powerful thing.

 

[Usman Chadda]

I've been noticing your posts since Post-Asia Cup and you're coming back to the same point of players being mentally weak. Not only for the posts related to test cricket, but also for LOIs. I mean I remember how you used to thump your chest until the CT triumph lasted for few months and going gung-ho about how CT champs will beat India in Asia Cup, and you took a sudden turn soon after Pak got back to it's true form of being mediocre since that series. How long would you keep bringing this point about players being mentally weak for every single failure? It's been 2 years mate! Your excuse has only been this for all the LOI and test failures! Swallow the bitter pill that Pak is simply not good enough no matter how many excuses you bring about the psychology or skill or what XYZ player has done in some particular match. Ultimiately the bitter truth is Pak cricket is in shambles and it's not because of their mental toughness, they are simply NOT good enough.

CT was a wonderful achievement, and we should have looked to build on it, but we fell back into our mediocre ways. The way the youth in our team took apart the top teams in world cricket was commendable. However, once again the same players got afflicted with the same disease that has plagued all of our players when they come into the international circuit. They lose focus and insecurity creeps in.

Chest-thumping was a bit of banter, you are probably too young to remember the environment before the final where Indians ran amok. I guess you guys weren't expecting us Pakistanis to give it back after the match, otherwise you would understand

'Simply not good enough' is a cop-out. You say 2 years, I have mentioned this issue being prevalent for a decade now.

 

[Abdullah719]

Except for Babar, I think.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mickey Arthur "Babar Azam wants to be the best. I think for the first time now, he's starting to believe that he can be the best. When he starts to believe that, he's going to be so powerful because he's such a good player" <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvPAK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvPAK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1198435155628691457?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Usman Chadda]

Well, i meant is skill for this particular format anyway. Or atleast the ability to to execute it over long periods of time. Your team doesn't have that. Not compared to the likes of Oz anyway.

Our captain was good enough to get a double century against Starc and Hazlewood back in 2016-17.

One bloke was good enough to almost chase down a massive score at the Gabba, with the help of a few dogged tail-enders. He has 9 centuries at number six.

One bloke is regarded as one of the best upcoming talents of modern day cricket.

One bloke has already scored a few centuries against the same opposition in multiple formats recently.

One bloke was good enough to counter a rampaging Olivier on true South African wickets, to be our best batter of the series.

That's five out of the top seven batters. The last three players have barely played enough test matches aswell, keep that in mind. There's enough skill there to work with, but the mental weakness is quite clearly hampering their progress.

Ever wonder why Pakistani players look a million dollars when there's nothing to lose?

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Our captain was good enough to get a double century against Starc and Hazlewood back in 2016-17.

One bloke was good enough to almost chase down a massive score at the Gabba, with the help of a few dogged tail-enders. He has 9 centuries at number six.

One bloke is regarded as one of the best upcoming talents of modern day cricket.

One bloke has already scored a few centuries against the same opposition in multiple formats recently.

One bloke was good enough to counter a rampaging Olivier on true South African wickets, to be our best batter of the series.

That's five out of the top seven batters. The last three players have barely played enough test matches aswell, keep that in mind. There's enough skill there to work with, but the mental weakness is quite clearly hampering their progress.

Ever wonder why Pakistani players look a million dollars when there's nothing to lose?

Azhar Ali has declined greatly. Babar has shown ability but this is his first meaningful hundred in tests. Mental weakness has affected Pakistan for the better part of 25 years. But currently, with the exception of Babar, a BJ Watling is a better batsman than anyone in PAK batting lineup. Overall skill level of this team is quite low and it shows in your performances in the last 3 years.

 

[charlie007]

Babar is the real deal. Naseem Shah is a future great, IMO, if injuries don't get him. Other than these, Pakistan team is outright mediocre and deserves to be where it is in the Test rankings.
They'll win here and there to give hope to fans, but will remain an average team over a longer course of time unless better players show up on the scene. I agree with some previous comments about this being a skills issue. Let's hope these younger bowlers shine through over the next few years. And Misbah needs to be banned from anything to do with cricket.

 

[BreadPakoda]

Few clarifying questions to understand the root cause of players being mentally weak:

Does the selection committee only select mentally weak players?

If not then are all or at least a majority of Pakistani players mentally weak?

Is this trait only limited to cricketers or there in others walks of life too?

 

[geraltofrivia]

Our captain was good enough to get a double century against Starc and Hazlewood back in 2016-17.

One bloke was good enough to almost chase down a massive score at the Gabba, with the help of a few dogged tail-enders. He has 9 centuries at number six.

One bloke is regarded as one of the best upcoming talents of modern day cricket.

One bloke has already scored a few centuries against the same opposition in multiple formats recently.

One bloke was good enough to counter a rampaging Olivier on true South African wickets, to be our best batter of the series.

That's five out of the top seven batters. The last three players have barely played enough test matches aswell, keep that in mind. There's enough skill there to work with, but the mental weakness is quite clearly hampering their progress.

Ever wonder why Pakistani players look a million dollars when there's nothing to lose?

Everyone has their days. Even the most mediocre batsmen have centuries and mediocre bowlers 5-fors. Good ones have just a lot of them.

You have just cherry picked the best days of these players.

Sreesanth took 5-40 and bowled South Africa out for 84 once and that lineup had Smith, Kallis, Amla, Gibbs, DeVilliers etc.

Mark Butcher once made an unbeaten 173 in the 4th innings to chase down a score vs the likes of McGrath, Warne, Gillespie, Lee.

None of these players are world class or even "good" players. Thing is if you are an international cricketer you have some ability and on some days this ability shines through. It's the same with the Pakistan team. There is a reason the batsmen all average below 45 and bowlers above 30.

 

[geraltofrivia]

Babar is the real deal. Naseem Shah is a future great, IMO, if injuries don't get him. Other than these, Pakistan team is outright mediocre and deserves to be where it is in the Test rankings.
They'll win here and there to give hope to fans, but will remain an average team over a longer course of time unless better players show up on the scene. I agree with some previous comments about this being a skills issue. Let's hope these younger bowlers shine through over the next few years. And Misbah needs to be banned from anything to do with cricket.

Let's reserve judgement on Naseem Shah for now until he actually has a few performances under his belt. Thing is Pakistan haven't had a good pacer since Asif. Gul, Amir, Wahab, Hasan, Junaid were all hyped but then fell away badly. Even the much hyped Shaheen hasn't done much of note until now.

 

[Mamoon]

Let’s not over-analyze or sugarcoat things. The fact is that we are not good enough - we are short on talent, technique and intelligence.

It has nothing to do with accepting or rejecting mediocrity. When you are mediocre you are mediocre, accepting or rejecting won’t change anything.

Pakistan cricket stinks of mediocrity.

 

[ARK Rafay]

Agree. Our players face insecurity regarding their place as well. It's the culture in Pakistan Cricket and PCB that remains mediocre

 

[Arya]

No level of confidence can make up for the lack of talent in Cricket. Except for a few teen quicks who can be good in future, I see nothing special in this Pakistan team.

 

[big_gamer007]

The OP sumsnup why Pakistan is laundering at the bottom of rankings. Pakistani fans and team have been brainwashed into thinking about mentality, jazba, attitude, daleri etc will make you top team.

It's not 80s anymore, cricket has become a professional sport with plenty of money spent on analysis and data by top teams. Pakistan is still living in the past and fans as well are carrying heavy dose of nostalgia.

Pakistan lacks quality players. Quality is not just skills but hard work as well. Take example of any top player like Kohli, Smith, KW etc. They put in so much hard work and practice to perfect themselves, Pakistani players lack that. They don't control diet, they don't work on their weaknesses. You have to give hours and hours daily to improve. Unless, you do that you will always be mediocre.

Babar is a good talent, will he reach the next level? Will he put in hard work like Kohli,Smith? If he does then he can be same league or even better than these two but would he put in the hours required or would he be content at being a Pakistani great only?

Skills are honed by putting hard work, no player in history was a great just on basis of so called talent. They put in hours and hours daily to reach the level they did, Pakistani players have casual attitude which along with the lack of skills results in mediocrity.

Unless the fans, players and board realises it's 2019 and not 1980 they will continue to be poster boys of mediocrity.

 

[andy0204]

The OP sumsnup why Pakistan is laundering at the bottom of rankings. Pakistani fans and team have been brainwashed into thinking about mentality, jazba, attitude, daleri etc will make you top team.

It's not 80s anymore, cricket has become a professional sport with plenty of money spent on analysis and data by top teams. Pakistan is still living in the past and fans as well are carrying heavy dose of nostalgia.

Pakistan lacks quality players. Quality is not just skills but hard work as well. Take example of any top player like Kohli, Smith, KW etc. They put in so much hard work and practice to perfect themselves, Pakistani players lack that. They don't control diet, they don't work on their weaknesses. You have to give hours and hours daily to improve. Unless, you do that you will always be mediocre.

Babar is a good talent, will he reach the next level? Will he put in hard work like Kohli,Smith? If he does then he can be same league or even better than these two but would he put in the hours required or would he be content at being a Pakistani great only?

Skills are honed by putting hard work, no player in history was a great just on basis of so called talent. They put in hours and hours daily to reach the level they did, Pakistani players have casual attitude which along with the lack of skills results in mediocrity.

Unless the fans, players and board realises it's 2019 and not 1980 they will continue to be poster boys of mediocrity.

Potw.

 

[Arya]

The OP sumsnup why Pakistan is laundering at the bottom of rankings. Pakistani fans and team have been brainwashed into thinking about mentality, jazba, attitude, daleri etc will make you top team.

It's not 80s anymore, cricket has become a professional sport with plenty of money spent on analysis and data by top teams. Pakistan is still living in the past and fans as well are carrying heavy dose of nostalgia.

Pakistan lacks quality players. Quality is not just skills but hard work as well. Take example of any top player like Kohli, Smith, KW etc. They put in so much hard work and practice to perfect themselves, Pakistani players lack that. They don't control diet, they don't work on their weaknesses. You have to give hours and hours daily to improve. Unless, you do that you will always be mediocre.

Babar is a good talent, will he reach the next level? Will he put in hard work like Kohli,Smith? If he does then he can be same league or even better than these two but would he put in the hours required or would he be content at being a Pakistani great only?

Skills are honed by putting hard work, no player in history was a great just on basis of so called talent. They put in hours and hours daily to reach the level they did, Pakistani players have casual attitude which along with the lack of skills results in mediocrity.

Unless the fans, players and board realises it's 2019 and not 1980 they will continue to be poster boys of mediocrity.

Quality post.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Pakistan have two options when they bat on day 4, be positive and think they can score big and make Aussies earn their wickets

Or they can just go out flash bat about for 20/30s and game will be over in 1st session.

Lets see how much hunger and pride team really has.

Glad to see babar, rizwan and yasir atleast put up some fight.

 

[Hasan123]

I don't get why people saying we are mentally weak. The fact is we are not good enough. That is the main factor.

Saying mentally weak as an excuse is just running away from the bigger issue.

If you want Pakistan cricket to change you first need to admit we are not good enough from grassroots all the way to international cricket. Domestic pitches and structure also major reasons why we are struggling.

 

[chacha kashmiri]

dude they lost a series in t20. You are acting like they lost at home in a test series to a minnow.

The only loss at home that hurt alot was the n.z one.

New Zealand was a tough one to take but their rankings have sky rocketed since beating us
The Sri Lanka series hurt because none of our bench strength stakes out a place to be on this tour

 

[Saj]

The tables have turned, years ago Pakistani players wanted long careers by playing Test cricket for their country. Nowadays, Pakistani players want to earn as much money as possible in the shortest space of time. They want to get noticed in the shorter formats, and play in as many T20 leagues as possible and are not really that bothered about playing Test cricket.

The sad fact is that whilst we will criticise Amir and Wahab for their retirements, other Pakistani players would do exactly the same thing, in fact expect more to follow the Amir and Wahab route.

 

[Sher Khan]

The tables have turned, years ago Pakistani players wanted long careers by playing Test cricket for their country. Nowadays, Pakistani players want to earn as much money as possible in the shortest space of time. They want to get noticed in the shorter formats, and play in as many T20 leagues as possible and are not really that bothered about playing Test cricket.

The sad fact is that whilst we will criticise Amir and Wahab for their retirements, other Pakistani players would do exactly the same thing, in fact expect more to follow the Amir and Wahab route.

I dont understand why people are surprised with Wahab's retirement. It was bound to happen, he is 35 now and was always going to retire sooner rather than later. He retired due to his age and to extend his career a bit more in the shorter formats.

Amir retired for different reasons. He had lost passion for test cricket and was eager to play in foreign t20 leagues. He was also very keen to play in the T10 league, but the PCB did not allow.

 

[Mobashir]

The tables have turned, years ago Pakistani players wanted long careers by playing Test cricket for their country. Nowadays, Pakistani players want to earn as much money as possible in the shortest space of time. They want to get noticed in the shorter formats, and play in as many T20 leagues as possible and are not really that bothered about playing Test cricket.

The sad fact is that whilst we will criticise Amir and Wahab for their retirements, other Pakistani players would do exactly the same thing, in fact expect more to follow the Amir and Wahab route.

Second time you are saying this in the thread. Do you know some young players that are not interested in playing Test cricket or is it just a guess?

Wahab Riaz is 35+ and was never a legendary test match bowler so his retirement from this format doesn't hurt Pakistan cricket.

Mohammad Amir's retirement surely came as a surprise and it's hard to figure out the different reasons behind it, but watching his bowling in LOI's you sense that he has fitness problems.

 

[Saj]

Second time you are saying this in the thread. Do you know some young players that are not interested in playing Test cricket or is it just a guess?

I wouldn't write it if it was a guess.

 

[Mobashir]

I wouldn't write it if it was a guess.

Ok. Still strange because none of our player is even good in T20's.

I really hope Babar sets the example for all of them and show them that you just need to be an excellent cricketer and money and fame will came itself.

 

[superman]

Remember who your coach, batting coach and Chief selector is!

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Bump. If OP still thinks it's a mentality issue then I have a bridge, two unicorns and a flying saucer to sell him. The skill level of this team is awfully low and even with better selections they don't come close to even competing with the best.

It may take a lot to swallow your pride and accept it but as a wise man once said "Sach Karwa hota Hain"

 

[Aman]

There's a severe lack of talent in batting.

Warner scored 300 with relative ease whereas Pakistan's batsmen have all been knocked over for 70.

Bowling there's talent but they're young and still learning.

 

[Mamoon]

They are playing to their capacity. A mouse won’t learn to fight a tiger because it refuses to accept that it is weak and small.

Our players have no talent and no intelligence. A deadly combination.

 

[Shoaib88]

They are playing to their capacity. A mouse won’t learn to fight a tiger because it refuses to accept that it is weak and small.

Our players have no talent and no intelligence. A deadly combination.

Can't help but laugh )

 

[nap229]

These are the best players u have. Accept you are not good enough.