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Perth Scorchers just beat Pakistan Shaheens by 48 runs in the semi-final of the Top End T20 Tournament.
This Scorchers side had only one international player, Matthew Spoors – who didn’t even play for Australia, but for CANADA (5 ODIs, 10 T20Is). The rest of the Scorchers side are mostly fringe or unknown names.
Let’s just compare the experience on paper.
Perth Scorchers (semi-final XI)
Sam Fanning: 4 T20s
Teague Wyllie: No Cricinfo record
Joel Curtis: No Cricinfo record
Baxter Holt: 12 T20s
Keaton Critchell: No Cricinfo record
Matthew Spoors: 15 T20s (10 T20Is)
Nicholas Hobson: 39 T20s
Matthew Kelly: 42 T20s
Alberth Esterhuysen: No Cricinfo record
Bryce Jackson: No Cricinfo record
Corey Rocchiccioli: 5 T20s
Total: 117 T20s + 10 T20Is
Pakistan Shaheens
Yasir Khan: 46 T20s
Maaz Sadaqat: 20 T20s
Khawaja Nafay: 32 T20s
Abdul Samad: 27 T20s (5 T20Is)
Irfan Khan: 58 T20s (14 T20Is)
Ghazi Ghori: 9 T20s
Mubasir Khan: 53 T20s
Saad Masood: 17 T20s
Mehran Mumtaz: 28 T20s
Mohammad Wasim Jr: 99 T20s (29 T20Is)
Faisal Akram: 23 T20s (3 ODIs)
Total: 350 T20s + 51 internationals
To put that in perspective: Wasim Jr + Faisal Akram alone have as much T20 experience as the entire Perth XI combined. On top of that, many of the Shaheens are well-known PSL performers, already established names in Pakistan’s domestic and franchise cricket.
And yet… they were outplayed. Not once, but twice. They lost earlier to the Scorchers as well (by 2 wickets). And if you thought that was an off day, then look at their hammering against the Chicago Kingsmen – beaten by 69 runs.
So what does this say?
Yes, the Shaheens made it to the semis, and yes, there were some strong individual performances. But zoom out and it’s worrying. The next generation is failing to dominate against players who are not even first-class names in Australia.
The Aussies are churning out quality talent from their academies and grade cricket system, so good that their second or third-string sides can take on PSL-level players.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s “next in line” – players tipped to graduate to the national side – look undercooked, inconsistent, and unable to step up.
This isn’t about “does Pakistan have talent?” – of course it does. The raw ability is there. The real issue is our failure to nurture, polish and prepare players for modern cricket.
When a group of mostly unknown Australians with 117 games of T20 experience can thrash a Pakistan side boasting 350+ games and 50 internationals, the gap is not in talent – it’s in development, systems, and professionalism.
This tour only underlines what many of us already feel: Pakistan is getting left behind. Our players should have walked this tournament, yet they looked second best against club and academy cricketers. That’s the bigger story here – and it should worry anyone who cares about the future of Pakistan cricket.
This Scorchers side had only one international player, Matthew Spoors – who didn’t even play for Australia, but for CANADA (5 ODIs, 10 T20Is). The rest of the Scorchers side are mostly fringe or unknown names.
Let’s just compare the experience on paper.
Perth Scorchers (semi-final XI)
Sam Fanning: 4 T20s
Teague Wyllie: No Cricinfo record
Joel Curtis: No Cricinfo record
Baxter Holt: 12 T20s
Keaton Critchell: No Cricinfo record
Matthew Spoors: 15 T20s (10 T20Is)
Nicholas Hobson: 39 T20s
Matthew Kelly: 42 T20s
Alberth Esterhuysen: No Cricinfo record
Bryce Jackson: No Cricinfo record
Corey Rocchiccioli: 5 T20s
Total: 117 T20s + 10 T20Is
Pakistan Shaheens
Yasir Khan: 46 T20s
Maaz Sadaqat: 20 T20s
Khawaja Nafay: 32 T20s
Abdul Samad: 27 T20s (5 T20Is)
Irfan Khan: 58 T20s (14 T20Is)
Ghazi Ghori: 9 T20s
Mubasir Khan: 53 T20s
Saad Masood: 17 T20s
Mehran Mumtaz: 28 T20s
Mohammad Wasim Jr: 99 T20s (29 T20Is)
Faisal Akram: 23 T20s (3 ODIs)
Total: 350 T20s + 51 internationals
To put that in perspective: Wasim Jr + Faisal Akram alone have as much T20 experience as the entire Perth XI combined. On top of that, many of the Shaheens are well-known PSL performers, already established names in Pakistan’s domestic and franchise cricket.
And yet… they were outplayed. Not once, but twice. They lost earlier to the Scorchers as well (by 2 wickets). And if you thought that was an off day, then look at their hammering against the Chicago Kingsmen – beaten by 69 runs.
So what does this say?
Yes, the Shaheens made it to the semis, and yes, there were some strong individual performances. But zoom out and it’s worrying. The next generation is failing to dominate against players who are not even first-class names in Australia.
The Aussies are churning out quality talent from their academies and grade cricket system, so good that their second or third-string sides can take on PSL-level players.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s “next in line” – players tipped to graduate to the national side – look undercooked, inconsistent, and unable to step up.
This isn’t about “does Pakistan have talent?” – of course it does. The raw ability is there. The real issue is our failure to nurture, polish and prepare players for modern cricket.
When a group of mostly unknown Australians with 117 games of T20 experience can thrash a Pakistan side boasting 350+ games and 50 internationals, the gap is not in talent – it’s in development, systems, and professionalism.
This tour only underlines what many of us already feel: Pakistan is getting left behind. Our players should have walked this tournament, yet they looked second best against club and academy cricketers. That’s the bigger story here – and it should worry anyone who cares about the future of Pakistan cricket.