Why the recent line of Pakistan's captains don't pick playing XIs based on ground conditions?

[Major]

A common problem with Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen and even Agha has been that these guys for some reason dont pick players based on ground conditions, but more so based on vives, player being an x factor etc.

Take the current Bangladesh series for example. Low bounce, spin friendly conditions, yet 4 pace bowlers and another part time pacer is being played on this ground.

Meanwhile, only 1 spinner has been added...

Than if we go years back, same thing happened at the World t20, low bounces of USA pitches and WI, yet Pakistan only picked one spinner. That time captain was Babar

Than just recently during the champions trophy, we knew we had a match against India in UAE. We still selected only 1 spinner, India went with 5 spinners, and we all know how that tournament ended... captain was Rizwan.


So why are our captains so oblivious to conditions? Why do we still believe that 140+ kph pace works in every ground in the world?

To me it seems like these captains are more focussed towards playing for the public, where the decisions are made to show themselves as Aggressive and not use logic or rational with selections of playing 11.

Social media effect it looks like it.

 

[mominsaigol]

A common problem with Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen and even Agha has been that these guys for some reason dont pick players based on ground conditions, but more so based on vives, player being an x factor etc.

Take the current Bangladesh series for example. Low bounce, spin friendly conditions, yet 4 pace bowlers and another part time pacer is being played on this ground.

Meanwhile, only 1 spinner has been added...

Than if we go years back, same thing happened at the World t20, low bounces of USA pitches and WI, yet Pakistan only picked one spinner. That time captain was Babar

Than just recently during the champions trophy, we knew we had a match against India in UAE. We still selected only 1 spinner, India went with 5 spinners, and we all know how that tournament ended... captain was Rizwan.


So why are our captains so oblivious to conditions? Why do we still believe that 140+ kph pace works in every ground in the world?

To me it seems like these captains are more focussed towards playing for the public, where the decisions are made to show themselves as Aggressive and not use logic or rational with selections of playing 11.

Social media effect it looks like it.

I was going to respond why but you already answered you're own question at the end.

Era of tiktok, yt shorts, X scrolling etc etc, thats the reason.

 

[Savak]

It's a simple lack of game awareness, cricketing intellect and understanding of the game and is a major reason why Pakistani players fail to achieve their potential

 

[Aqib_mustafa]

Its really shocking they are not playing spinners in these spinning pitches

 

[amvbfm]

Its not just this lot, its always been the same. I don't think it has much to do with social media influence or external factors. Ideally, if considered those factors might push you towards better balance. It has a lot to do with what the people making the decisions perceive to be the right choices and what they are comfortable with.

There is ALWAYS bias and favoritism when it comes to selection, be it any team, and it can be put down to human nature. Teams are seldom chosen 100% for their merit and ability or based on conditions. Whoever has power tends to select people who

- they like for cricketing reasons or otherwise. this can include friends, cronies, team mates from other teams, region etc.
- they perceive to be better than others even if they aren't. There are many examples of when captains persisted with certain players because they thought they would deliver
- not select people who they dislike or perceive not to be good even if they are. In some instances the player could even be an actual troublemaker or not a good team player
- then there is always the element of insecurity and the fear of someone else taking your place. players having skills similar to senior or influential players often suffer
- in Asian countries there is the added weight of experience and seniority where players will continue playing as long as they aren't forcibly dropped

And this is not just true for international or first class cricket. Anyone who has ever played team sports at any level will relate to this. On a certain level it also makes sense. If you are playing in a team you would want to play with people you like or are comfortable with rather than people you barely know or dislike.

Lately social media has become an influencing factor when it comes to selection but generally that is at the squad level where selectors might get influenced by intense lobbying or trends. When picking the final XI, the factors above tend to be more important.

This is why having a structured selection process is important. Things like identification of young talent and their fast tracking and more importantly assimilation in the setup, rest and rotation policies, all feed in to this structure. And finally and perhaps most importantly you must properly identify and groom your leadership (and that includes the coach/manager etc.). If you don't, you will see their lack of understanding/game awareness and biases reflected and magnified in the team.