Revolution, not evolution needed at the PCB

[unemployedgm]

I am a Sports Executive based in New York. For purposes of full transparency over the past three years I've served as the General Manager of two professional cricket franchises. From 2015-2017 I was the GM of the Jamaica Tallawahs. In the 2017-18 Season I was the GM of the Saint Lucia Stars. Unfortunately after winning a title in my first season with the Tallawahs I've failed to finish the job the past two seasons. The Tallawahs were sold just before the 2017 Season and I wasn't retained by the new owners. I resigned as GM of the Stars in the early days of the 2018 Season.

Why is any of this information relevant to Pakistani Fans licking their wounds after a really poor Asia Cup? I believe it is relevant because my journey, my success, and my failure as an Executive explains many of the problems that beset Pakistan Cricket and Cricket in General. So how did a basketball playing club cricketer become the GM of a Cricket Franchise?

From a very young age I recognized an innate ability in myself to identify and evaluate talent. I was also able to simplify the complex process of building elite teams. I also completely disagreed with the manner in which Selectors, Captains, and Coaches built teams and constructed XI's. Finally, I believed that countless players were treated unfairly and I was driven to change an archaic approach.

In October of 2015 I was hired by the Jamaica Tallawahs and finally given the opportunity to test my belief that I could identify and evaluate talent, build a team, and lead an organization. In that first year I picked Rovman Powell after watching a 1 minute Youtube Clip and an in-person meeting. I picked O'Shane Thomas while watching a Melbourne Cricket Club practice in Kingston.I hunted down Kesrick Williams who was living in England and not playing cricket. The following year I picked Glen Phillips after spending a lot of nights watching the Super Smash. Finally, I picked Imad Wasim after a 1 Hour WhatsApp call that I took at a shopping mall in New Jersey.
FYI I incorporated subjective scouting with analytics. Seven of our 17 players went on to debut for their Region, Received Call-Ups to West Indies A Team, or achieved selection to the National Team. Unfortunately circumstances haven't allowed me to replicate that success but nevertheless I've learned a lot about the game working alongside some real great coaches and great great players. At the same time I also learned a lot about the problems that prevent teams from having success in cricket and this brings me to Pakistan Cricket.

The Pakistan Cricket Board(PCB) has failed to optimize the true value of Pakistan Cricket. If run competently the PCB should be a financial powerhouse and the Pakistan Team should be competing at the top end of international cricket. Unfortunately the board is beset by political appointments, a rigged system, and a management team with limited intellectual capacity. The new PM who I support if you care about my political leanings has failed to solve these problems. The appointment of Ehsan Mani is a backward step, while the appointment of Zakir Khan reeks of nepotism. On the other hand private money has shown the way. Nadeem Omar and Ali Naqvi in particular have hired real professionals. The results are there for the world to see. Pakistan Cricket needs a hungry CEO who understands how to grow revenue and build organizational capacity.

The archaic institution of selection is the second major problem that afflicts Pakistan Cricket. The future of cricket does not lie with a tired selection committee. Selection committees are fiefdoms of former cricketers who may have been great players, but know very little about the mechanics of building a team. Apart from their inability to identify and evaluate talent correctly, they simply do not understand how to build a team. They also don't work hard. As a General Manager I have spent 2 months every year in Pakistan watching domestic games. I have never once seen a National Selector at one of these games. Our selectors simply don't work hard enough. Add poor competency to the mix and you have a recipe for disaster.

Hire a General Manager or a Director of Cricket. This person's job is not to select a team. His job is to build a team. His job is to create a pipeline of talent. This includes creating an identity, authoring a playing philosophy, developing strategic player development models, activating integration models, building an analytics infrastructure, and finally a front office. Below him is a Football Style Manager. That manager then has a specialized technical coaching team who are responsible for developing the players.

This brings me to my final point, just in case you were bored enough to read this long comment. There needs to be a revolution at PCB HQ and that starts with improving the governance structure and hiring a REAL CEO because the evolution currently in place will only lead to more mediocrity and accidental success. Don't Be Fooled.

 

[MenInG]

Interesting post.

How easy is it to change a Pakistani organisation like the PCB?

 

[Madplayer]

How much time do you think it will take?

Its hard to believe a world beating team could be created in a short span of time ALA Clive Lloyd's Westindies Style.

 

[unemployedgm]

Interesting post.

How easy is it to change a Pakistani organisation like the PCB?

If there's a will you can change it. Time and again the PM has promoted the virtues and skills of overseas Pakistanis. Where are they? More pertinent, university's in Pakistan are producing exceptional minds every year. None of these people find employment at the PCB and more importantly the Board has no structure or intention to recruit them. Because intelligent self-respecting individuals challenge norms, prefer transparency, and operate professionally.

That said, the PM shouldn't be associated with Pakistan Cricket. But if that connection is to remain than he must change the governance structure. That includes dissolving the Board of Governors and revamping the corporate structure. The PCB desperately needs a modern forward thinking CEO.

 

[Eagle_Eye]

If there's a will you can change it. Time and again the PM has promoted the virtues and skills of overseas Pakistanis. Where are they? More pertinent, university's in Pakistan are producing exceptional minds every year. None of these people find employment at the PCB and more importantly the Board has no structure or intention to recruit them. Because intelligent self-respecting individuals challenge norms, prefer transparency, and operate professionally.

That said, the PM shouldn't be associated with Pakistan Cricket. But if that connection is to remain than he must change the governance structure. That includes dissolving the Board of Governors and revamping the corporate structure. The PCB desperately needs a modern forward thinking CEO.

Interesting thread. And I agree whole heartedly. Run it as a professional business and open it upto transparent competitive hiring process.

Dissolve the pcb and its entire structure, it's not fit for purpose from player recruitment to financial success.

 

[Dingolfy]

If there's a will you can change it. Time and again the PM has promoted the virtues and skills of overseas Pakistanis. Where are they? More pertinent, university's in Pakistan are producing exceptional minds every year. None of these people find employment at the PCB and more importantly the Board has no structure or intention to recruit them. Because intelligent self-respecting individuals challenge norms, prefer transparency, and operate professionally.

That said, the PM shouldn't be associated with Pakistan Cricket. But if that connection is to remain than he must change the governance structure. That includes dissolving the Board of Governors and revamping the corporate structure. The PCB desperately needs a modern forward thinking CEO.

I dont think your issue just selection.Its way beyond that.You need to improve your infrastructre, have a better domestic structure and schedule and invest in good coaching.
That is what India have done.Look at our Ranji results itself for the last few years.Its all the newbies like Vidharbha instead of the biggies like Mumbai and Karnataka.The reason for that is better coaching and infrastructure.

 

[unemployedgm]

How much time do you think it will take?

Its hard to believe a world beating team could be created in a short span of time ALA Clive Lloyd's Westindies Style.

Winning at a high level on the field is going to take a lot longer than revamping the PCB. Why? The ability to identify and evaluate talent is a unique skill. The ability to simplify the complexity of building a team is a unique skill. Naturally the Board will go big game hunting and try to employ a high profile Chief Selector. Unfortunately that individual will not have the intellectual capacity to do what is required. A good GM or Chief Selector(I Hate That Title) are scarce commodities. The people capable of identifying this commodity are even more scarce.

The big takeaway from Pakistan's poor Asia Cup is the batting. Yes, Pakistan's batting is very poor. But so is our bowling and our fielding. Our batting style against good teams revolves around survival. Our bowling style against all teams revolves around line and length. If there's movement and a weak opponent our bowlers look great. If there's no movement and a strong opponent we look ordinary. The fielding, the tactics, and preparation for matches/series is poor. I would advise every cricket fan to go see a cricket practice session. It is two to three hours of nonsense and a big waste of time.

How do you win cricket games?

Before you begin the process of building teams it's important to have a stated philosophy that recognizes the basic tenets of winning. There are two non-negotiable concepts in competitive sport. To win consistently at a high level you must be able to defend and attack. The equivalent of defense in cricket is:

1. Bowling and Bowling Strategy
2. Fielding and Fielding Strategy
3. Balanced Bowling Lineup (Test: 5 Bowlers(3 Fast Bowlers and 2 Spinners) ODI: 6 Bowlers(3 Fast Bowlers and 3 Spinners) T20: 6 Bowlers (3 Fast Bowlers and 3 Spinners).

The single most important phase of bowling in each phase of the game is the initial power play. Dominant teams have new ball bowlers who can take wickets up front. Against good teams if there's no movement our bowling attack has demonstrated no ability to take wickets. Apart from bowling a good length outside off stump expect no strategic bouncers, attacking fields, slower balls, or yorkers. The latter isn't even an option at the end of an innings. A good Bowling Coach is very important and Pakistan quite frankly doesn't have one.

The second non-negotiable concept is the ability to attack and press the opposition. If you're a football and a cricket fan, view Openers like an ultra-aggressive high pressing team. Think Liverpool. Dominant Cricket Teams have two openers that attack the opposition. The great West Indies Team's took wickets up front and put the opposition under pressure with two attacking openers in every format of the game. The same can be said for the best Australian Teams. Australia was trying to dominate the opening overs of a test match as far back as the early 90s if not before that. England is doing the same in ODI and T20 Cricket today.

Playing attacking cricket in all formats at the top of the innings is non-negotiable. So how do you execute attacking cricket at the top of the innings?

1. Your Head Coach and Your Captain Must Believe in the Essential Nature of that Philosophy. Irrespective of the opponent and the pitch that philosophy must be backed. That means not dropping players.

2. The person responsible for building the squad has to pick three openers who are fearless against fast bowling and capable of hitting boundaries. That includes the ability to hit sixes. Yes hitting sixes is important!!! What does that look like? Fawad Alam has been condemned by members of the cricketing fraternity because he can't hit the ball out of the ground. Who in the current team can? Fakhar Zaman against bad bowling and Asif Ali. For example, if it was my decision I see no place for players like Imam ul Haq, Shan Masood, Sami Aslam, Mohammad Hafeez, or the like because they simply do not physical capacity or the mental fortitude to dominate the opposition. As a result every game they play is a game wasted for Pakistan. By dropping them and replacing them with an attacking opener you are instantly improving your cricket. How?

Lets say you pick someone like Nauman Anwar. Nauman is a talented batsman who lacks consistency. What he doesn't lack is intent. The Pakistan Team instantly improves because you selected two attacking openers who are going to play aggressively. You also instantly created a culture of development and self-improvement. The likes of Imam ul Haq, Shan Masood(he's actually improved), and Sami Aslam will be forced to get better. Don't expect these players to suddenly muscle the ball. But expect these players to find creative ways to up their scoring rate to the standards required in international cricket. As a result they will become better players rather than the mediocre lot they are now.

Finally, it's not easy but it certainly can change. It just requires hard work, competence, and critical thinking.

 

[unemployedgm]

I dont think your issue just selection.Its way beyond that.You need to improve your infrastructre, have a better domestic structure and schedule and invest in good coaching.
That is what India have done.Look at our Ranji results itself for the last few years.Its all the newbies like Vidharbha instead of the biggies like Mumbai and Karnataka.The reason for that is better coaching and infrastructure.

That's a great point. The Domestic Structure in Pakistan has no beginning and no end. It is a bottomless pit of nothingness and reducing it to six teams won't solve Pakistan's problems. Australia is no longer dominating cricket. Why? Because it is not producing top players despite a 6 Team Sheffield Shield. Think about this, Australia's two spin hopes are two Pakistanis.

The Domestic Structure in Pakistan needs to be expanded into a Football League Style Pyramid. Take cricket to every corner of the country and create a uniform competitive regional structure. Pump money into this structure and give players, coaches, and sports professionals an opportunity to make real money.

THE FUTURE OF CRICKET IS LOCAL. It's Faisalabad vs Gujranwala on a Friday Night. It's not meaningless bilateral series.

 

[Bewal Express]

I am a Sports Executive based in New York. For purposes of full transparency over the past three years I've served as the General Manager of two professional cricket franchises. From 2015-2017 I was the GM of the Jamaica Tallawahs. In the 2017-18 Season I was the GM of the Saint Lucia Stars. Unfortunately after winning a title in my first season with the Tallawahs I've failed to finish the job the past two seasons. The Tallawahs were sold just before the 2017 Season and I wasn't retained by the new owners. I resigned as GM of the Stars in the early days of the 2018 Season.

Why is any of this information relevant to Pakistani Fans licking their wounds after a really poor Asia Cup? I believe it is relevant because my journey, my success, and my failure as an Executive explains many of the problems that beset Pakistan Cricket and Cricket in General. So how did a basketball playing club cricketer become the GM of a Cricket Franchise?

From a very young age I recognized an innate ability in myself to identify and evaluate talent. I was also able to simplify the complex process of building elite teams. I also completely disagreed with the manner in which Selectors, Captains, and Coaches built teams and constructed XI's. Finally, I believed that countless players were treated unfairly and I was driven to change an archaic approach.

In October of 2015 I was hired by the Jamaica Tallawahs and finally given the opportunity to test my belief that I could identify and evaluate talent, build a team, and lead an organization. In that first year I picked Rovman Powell after watching a 1 minute Youtube Clip and an in-person meeting. I picked O'Shane Thomas while watching a Melbourne Cricket Club practice in Kingston.I hunted down Kesrick Williams who was living in England and not playing cricket. The following year I picked Glen Phillips after spending a lot of nights watching the Super Smash. Finally, I picked Imad Wasim after a 1 Hour WhatsApp call that I took at a shopping mall in New Jersey.
FYI I incorporated subjective scouting with analytics. Seven of our 17 players went on to debut for their Region, Received Call-Ups to West Indies A Team, or achieved selection to the National Team. Unfortunately circumstances haven't allowed me to replicate that success but nevertheless I've learned a lot about the game working alongside some real great coaches and great great players. At the same time I also learned a lot about the problems that prevent teams from having success in cricket and this brings me to Pakistan Cricket.

The Pakistan Cricket Board(PCB) has failed to optimize the true value of Pakistan Cricket. If run competently the PCB should be a financial powerhouse and the Pakistan Team should be competing at the top end of international cricket. Unfortunately the board is beset by political appointments, a rigged system, and a management team with limited intellectual capacity. The new PM who I support if you care about my political leanings has failed to solve these problems. The appointment of Ehsan Mani is a backward step, while the appointment of Zakir Khan reeks of nepotism. On the other hand private money has shown the way. Nadeem Omar and Ali Naqvi in particular have hired real professionals. The results are there for the world to see. Pakistan Cricket needs a hungry CEO who understands how to grow revenue and build organizational capacity.

The archaic institution of selection is the second major problem that afflicts Pakistan Cricket. The future of cricket does not lie with a tired selection committee. Selection committees are fiefdoms of former cricketers who may have been great players, but know very little about the mechanics of building a team. Apart from their inability to identify and evaluate talent correctly, they simply do not understand how to build a team. They also don't work hard. As a General Manager I have spent 2 months every year in Pakistan watching domestic games. I have never once seen a National Selector at one of these games. Our selectors simply don't work hard enough. Add poor competency to the mix and you have a recipe for disaster.

Hire a General Manager or a Director of Cricket. This person's job is not to select a team. His job is to build a team. His job is to create a pipeline of talent. This includes creating an identity, authoring a playing philosophy, developing strategic player development models, activating integration models, building an analytics infrastructure, and finally a front office. Below him is a Football Style Manager. That manager then has a specialized technical coaching team who are responsible for developing the players.

This brings me to my final point, just in case you were bored enough to read this long comment. There needs to be a revolution at PCB HQ and that starts with improving the governance structure and hiring a REAL CEO because the evolution currently in place will only lead to more mediocrity and accidental success. Don't Be Fooled.

I said along time back that they should have appointed a Director of cricketer. His role would be to oversee all matter affecting the national team including U19, A team and the national team. At present Inzi, much like his predecessors does no scouting. I bet he that he never attend any Domestic matches. He probably goes on Cric info and checks the scorecards and then selects the teams. We need him to the scouting for talented people or at least find people that will do it for him.

 

[unemployedgm]

I agree.

The job of a Director of Cricket should be to build the team. That includes, building a Sporting Infrastructure so you can make informed decisions based on a synthesis of subjective and objective evidence. Since the beginning of Pakistan Cricket the process of building a team has been resigned to throwing names against a wall. That said, this same problem exists throughout cricket. You may or may not be surprised by this but some of the discourse outside of cricket is better than the discourse inside cricket. That's why modern day commentating is so laughable and completely devoid of any logic or critical thinking.

 

[Rana]

Who do Pakistan hire for the right jobs though? There are a million boxes one must tick that are irrelevant to the actual job before being considered for a serious post in Pakistan.

You cant expect this board to go through a revolution unless it becomes an independent body from the Government and the relevant posts are filled through a democratic electoral vote.

 

[Itachi]

Winning at a high level on the field is going to take a lot longer than revamping the PCB. Why? The ability to identify and evaluate talent is a unique skill. The ability to simplify the complexity of building a team is a unique skill. Naturally the Board will go big game hunting and try to employ a high profile Chief Selector. Unfortunately that individual will not have the intellectual capacity to do what is required. A good GM or Chief Selector(I Hate That Title) are scarce commodities. The people capable of identifying this commodity are even more scarce.

I won't quote the whole post as it is a long one and it is already there for any reference.

In my opinion, what you are trying to say here is wishful thinking but is far from reality and not feasible to a greater extent.

In an institution or organization, there are different departments which performs various tasks in order to achieve the greater goal. But as philosophy will be different, each department may clash. On the other hand, since one department is dependent upon one another, it will impact others too if just one fails to do its purpose.

A simple example. The talent hunt will play crucial role in your project. Let's say, the person in charge spotted a raw talent and drafted to the department which is supposed to build him for a national level. If that player fails to perform, the first strike will be on the person who was supposed to be develop him. But he may simply say, the talent hunt department is failing to serve its purpose and sending any tom, dick, harry to national level who can't be developed after a level and hence the results aren't showing. The talent hunt director will blame the developing director for failing to do his purpose. Simply it will be a mess.

Coming to basic, you are talking about isolated entities which will perform their roles in order to build a team. But these isolated entities are answerable to whom? All are on the same level and there will be a power struggle in reality.

It may hold good for a short span of time among a few limited players but as the institution will grow bigger, it will be a mess and way more complicated than the simple scenario that you are painting here.

I didn't even start with bureaucracy. I haven't even mentioned the clash of philosophies in each level.

This revolution won't serve any purpose. Evolution is indeed the correct way to go.

 

[fitCricFan]

With an ATG cricket great, IK, at the helm of the country, you would think that he would be very interested in overhauling the sport and its framework in Pakistan. We will know now if we are dealing with IK, the politician or IK, the cricketer who had a real passion for the game or a bit of both.

Honestly, we need to start playing cricket with India more often regardless of how our administrators feel, even if it is at a neutral venue anywhere in the world. How the heck are our player's going to learn until they play with better players. It would be ideal if our cricketer's can get to play in the IPL as it is a fast track to LOI exposure and playing under pressure.

If nothing changes then we will just be another side playing nothing more than club cricket and it will be teh same-ol, same-ol in the next decade