Why has Pakistan become so horrible at Cricket?

[ahmedwaqas92]

Don't want to drum up a hyperbole here, but not only are we getting pummeled overseas (which was a norm), but it seems we can't even compete at home now.

Why have we become so horrible at cricket in the past 2 years or so? This is extremely frustrating.

 

[HappyWarsFan]

Yeah honestly! I know we've been below average for over 10 years, but OMG the past 2-3 years - post CT 2017 - have been the absolute worst, defeat after defeat in all formats.

 

[ahmedwaqas92]

Yeah honestly! I know we've been below average for over 10 years, but OMG the past 2-3 years - post CT 2017 - have been the absolute worst, defeat after defeat in all formats.

Because CT17 was a horrible aberration where Eng and Ind both had uncharacteristic shockers of a game in the SF and Final respectively.

That peppered overs the glaring cracks the team had and compounded to the problem we were facing for the preceding half a decade.

 

[shah_1]

We are simply not producing any talent.

 

[Hyperion66]

Horrible is stretching it but Pakistan is going through a dry patch in terms of talent for quite some time.

 

[ahmedwaqas92]

We are simply not producing any talent.

That's quite an easy cop out, give this same lot to a different pro setup in Eng/Aus/NZ/Ind and these same talentless players would start going blow for blow in top international cricket.

 

[ahmedwaqas92]

Horrible is stretching it but Pakistan is going through a dry patch in terms of talent for quite some time.

Even half decent teams dominate at home, while it seems we can't even do the latter to a rebuilding SA side.

This is sad on so many levels.

 

[Gullycricket]

It's honestly because we have a habit of taking things for granted. We have been terrible with our bowling resources especially fast bowling but we always assumed we will produce talent. Nowhere any concrete steps were taken to actually put a framework in place

 

[jiduguravindra]

Even half decent teams dominate at home, while it seems we can't even do the latter to a rebuilding SA side.

This is sad on so many levels.

The pitch prepared for this test match is worse. It doesn't give any advantage to home team considering the bowling lineup of SA, they played right into SA hands.Way to go is to Prepare good batting pitch score big in first innings bowl out opposition below par and then spin takes care in second innings.

 

[Energy]

We haven't turned horrible overnight. It has been a combination of many factors, from top level to the players on the ground.

Look at the CT-17 team. It was a young team and everyone expected that now this new Pak team will rise. But after that, they slumped. Dropped from ICC top 10 individual player rankings within a year.

Tests: After MisYou everybody banked on Azhar and Asad to lead the next generation of batters. They crumbled under pressure like kids, and their own place came under the scanner - such was their awful form.

When was the last time you saw a young middle order batsman debut at No.6 and then make his way up to No.4/5 like normal teams do? I can't recall anything like this. Instead, in the desperation the selectors turned a blanket vision to journeymen FC players, or led everyone to believe that they had the 'eye for a raw diamond'. Both these extremes have been failures.

I was shocked that no new middle order batsman was drafted in this test, and instead everyone played in their comfort zone. For bowling, a safer short-term solution was used rather than looking to go with variety aka an off spinner, fresh off a superb domestic season and raring to make a mark.

Faheem was picked on a spinning track as the AR on the back of his performance on seaming wickets in NZ. This is the scale of incompetence we're looking at.

 

[Mamoon]

Pakistan has always been the least talented cricket nation historically. This idea that Pakistan has an abundance of natural talent is the biggest lie that has ever been sold in cricket.

We have a very mediocre legacy in every facet of the game except fast bowling, and we all know why we were successful in that department and why that success is not replicable today. Let’s not go there.

What has happened with us over the last few years is the same that happened with West Indies cricket in the mid 90’s - a failure to keep up with the evolution of the game. In other words, the game has bypassed us and we are left behind.

It happened to us in hockey as well and now it is happening to us in cricket.

The game has changed a lot over the last 10-15 years, it is the second period of evolution in cricket after the 1960s. We simply cannot keep up anymore just like West Indies cannot.

I am telling you now. Pakistan will never be a top team again. Our cricket peak was from 1970s to 2000s, and it is all downhill from here. We will forever remain a mediocre team in the same league as West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

We cannot find a solution to arrest our decline. We do not have the cricketing intelligence or the natural ability, and we no longer have access to County cricket who can nurture the few quality players that we produce every now and then.

The onus is on the fans to manage their expectations. Pakistan has no divine right to be a top cricket team.

Millions of fans around the world support mediocre and poor sports teams and they find joy in doing so because they keep realistic expectations.

The real problem in Pakistan cricket is not the performance of the team; the real problem is the expectations of the fans.

The gap between what the fans expect from the team and the actual capability of the team is enormous.

Instead of deluding ourselves and hoping that XYZ will happen and PCB will raise its standards to meet the expectations of the fans, the fans need to lower their expectations to reach the level of the team.

Pakistani fans should be happy with 6th and 7th rank and some home Test series victories on turning pitches as long as Yasir is around.

Anything beyond that is not within our caliber. Forget winning World Cups, winning Test series overseas, beating top teams in bilateral ODI cricket, beating India in a series in any format in any venue, producing 4-5 world class players in a generation etc. etc., they are not in our reach anymore and never will be in the future.

This drama of reforming the FC system and distributing mithai over broadcast deals and how we will reinvest the money in our cricket bla bla will also end in tears. It will not have any long-term impact.

This is not negativity or pessimism. This is the truth. I have not been repeating myself like a broken record for years for nothing - I know the reality of Pakistan cricket like the back of my hand, and I can already tell you what is going to happen over the next 10 years with about 90% accuracy.

Lower expectations and find joy in what Pakistan cricket offers. We cannot be like India, Australia, England etc.

Our players have no talent and no personalities, the stadiums still have the 80s vibe and the outfield looks like grazing fields for buffaloes.

Just enjoy what we have. We also have a low budget, cheap imitation of IPL to bring us entertainment every year.

Make peace with what Pakistan cricket is and what it will be in the future. If you try to seek what is beyond your capacity, you will only find disappointment.

 

[guna]

The new talent that burst into Pak team in the last few years did not pan out as expected by cricket fans. The likes of Fakhar, Faheem, Shadab, Hasan Ali disappointed a lot. Only Shaheen looks like he is improving with every outing.

 

[RajBan]

Give yourself sometime. Not playing at home and the security issues in the last decade did not help. Now that things are normal , I expect Pakistan to get back to rhythm in few years time. Ofcourse some of the gaps that others have pointed out in terms of lack of first class infrastructure, setup at grassroot level, data analytics for national team will need to be addressed but that's nothing extraordinary to accomplish.

 

[Buffet]

It's only the 2nd day of the test. Pakistan can take a lead here as well. Pakistan has lost effectively 3 wickets so far.

 

[Rightarmfast]

It seems to be that Pakistani selectors and fans are alike. They are impatient. Give your team some time. It takes years to get in the groove. India has taken years to reach where it is.
The same team will win you matches if you just show some confidence. Too much expectation will always be painful. Relax and support your team.

 

[TNAmarkFromIndia]

It seems to be that Pakistani selectors and fans are alike. They are impatient. Give your team some time. It takes years to get in the groove. India has taken years to reach where it is.

How many of the players Pakistan backed over the last 4-5 years have become mainstays/matchwinners/dependable players?

 

[BakuGM]

Well there are some culprits that we can all point to at the decline of Pakistan Cricket e.g. no ORGANIZED grass roots efforts, no school cricket, incompetent PCB, incompetent selector, etc. The list can go on but I believe the biggest issue Pakistan is facing in sports in general and Cricket in particular is the continual decline of all departments of the country and not just in sports. When there is chaos in the overall society than you cannot expect that cricket will be exempted from this phenomena. Pakistan was a very good cricketing nation from early 1970's till mid 90's as a lot of our players were playing in overseas domestic set up which helped players to be groomed regardless of what was happening back home. When that structure was taken away you can see the end results. Pakistan can still produce decent talent but need a much better structure than what's currently in place.

 

[Afhan Ali]

Pakistan has always been the least talented cricket nation historically. This idea that Pakistan has an abundance of natural talent is the biggest lie that has ever been sold in cricket.

We have a very mediocre legacy in every facet of the game except fast bowling, and we all know why we were successful in that department and why that success is not replicable today. Let’s not go there.

What has happened with us over the last few years is the same that happened with West Indies cricket in the mid 90’s - a failure to keep up with the evolution of the game. In other words, the game has bypassed us and we are left behind.

It happened to us in hockey as well and now it is happening to us in cricket.

The game has changed a lot over the last 10-15 years, it is the second period of evolution in cricket after the 1960s. We simply cannot keep up anymore just like West Indies cannot.

I am telling you now. Pakistan will never be a top team again. Our cricket peak was from 1970s to 2000s, and it is all downhill from here. We will forever remain a mediocre team in the same league as West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

We cannot find a solution to arrest our decline. We do not have the cricketing intelligence or the natural ability, and we no longer have access to County cricket who can nurture the few quality players that we produce every now and then.

The onus is on the fans to manage their expectations. Pakistan has no divine right to be a top cricket team.

Millions of fans around the world support mediocre and poor sports teams and they find joy in doing so because they keep realistic expectations.

The real problem in Pakistan cricket is not the performance of the team; the real problem is the expectations of the fans.

The gap between what the fans expect from the team and the actual capability of the team is enormous.

Instead of deluding ourselves and hoping that XYZ will happen and PCB will raise its standards to meet the expectations of the fans, the fans need to lower their expectations to reach the level of the team.

Pakistani fans should be happy with 6th and 7th rank and some home Test series victories on turning pitches as long as Yasir is around.

Anything beyond that is not within our caliber. Forget winning World Cups, winning Test series overseas, beating top teams in bilateral ODI cricket, beating India in a series in any format in any venue, producing 4-5 world class players in a generation etc. etc., they are not in our reach anymore and never will be in the future.

This drama of reforming the FC system and distributing mithai over broadcast deals and how we will reinvest the money in our cricket bla bla will also end in tears. It will not have any long-term impact.

This is not negativity or pessimism. This is the truth. I have not been repeating myself like a broken record for years for nothing - I know the reality of Pakistan cricket like the back of my hand, and I can already tell you what is going to happen over the next 10 years with about 90% accuracy.

Lower expectations and find joy in what Pakistan cricket offers. We cannot be like India, Australia, England etc.

Our players have no talent and no personalities, the stadiums still have the 80s vibe and the outfield looks like grazing fields for buffaloes.

Just enjoy what we have. We also have a low budget, cheap imitation of IPL to bring us entertainment every year.

Make peace with what Pakistan cricket is and what it will be in the future. If you try to seek what is beyond your capacity, you will only find disappointment.

But most of Pakistani people have already accepted the reality of being a poor and mediocre cricket team.

When we were 13-18 old we were mad for Pakistan team but now after 7 years we already know that Pakistan will loss these matches and will give some competition in those matches. But today 10-20 years old boys are following cartoons, video games etc. May be 0.1% of young people are following cricket.

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

No home games. Once they consistently win more games at home they will get more confidence.

 

[wrongun]

It's honestly because we have a habit of taking things for granted. We have been terrible with our bowling resources especially fast bowling but we always assumed we will produce talent. Nowhere any concrete steps were taken to actually put a framework in place

Sounds like WI realising in the early 2000s. Fortunately Pakistani has a far greater player pool, far greater financial potential & less competition for sporting talent than WI (soccer, basketball, athletics all taking more players now).

With recent steps taken by IK & new chairmen there is the chance to correct course.

 

[JibranAnsari]

its doing of good 20 years now. We have been mediocre since 2002-2003.

 

[aqeelPK]

It seems to be that Pakistani selectors and fans are alike. They are impatient. Give your team some time. It takes years to get in the groove. India has taken years to reach where it is.
The same team will win you matches if you just show some confidence. Too much expectation will always be painful. Relax and support your team.

India did not take years to make a turn around. They were awful from 1990-99, won CT, drawn test series in australia & played WC final within next 3-4 years. Windies in 60s, SL/SA in 90s, England in 2000s. NZ in 2010s all had similar quick turn arounds.

 

[Abdullah Rabbani]

In every sport we're so pathetic and poor

 

[aqeelPK]

Strict rules on fixing, doping, ball tempering, chucking, umpiring etc have contributed to our downfall more than anything else. We were world class both at hockey & cricket as long as the rules allowed us to cheat, but as soon as they changed the rules & made harder for us to cheat, we no longer remained competitive let alone the world class. It is not just the sports, we as nation are arguably best cheaters in the world. No one can compete us in any field if cheating is allowed. However, we can't compete anyone in any field under fair rules & regulations.

 

[Usman Chadda]

It’s a miracle we are competing at international level, with the damage that has been caused to our system in the background in the last decade or so. Most fans are too naive to understand that you cannot produce top talent, if you don’t have meaningful cricket at grassroot level. No school cricket or club cricket, corruption rules this stage of our system by force.

Neither does the average kid have access to top-class facilities like Australia, England, India, New Zealand or even Bangladesh. Sri Lanka is also far ahead in terms of player development, with a very strong school cricket structure.

It’s a testament to the talent and determination of our young cricketers, that Pakistan cricket is still a name in world cricket right now. The people at the top have been content on taking salaries and hoping a Wasim, Waqar etc come up out of nowhere. World cricket has moved on from the days where raw young players could come up and dominate. What we see now is our young cricketers perform well in their first year, only to be ripped to shreds by the constant analysis done in world cricket nowadays.

 

[Bhaijaan]

Players represent the mood the of the nation in a way.

Pakistani players whether in Hockey or Cricket in the 1980s and 1990s were sher dil and daler because that was the mood of the nation.