Instability, in-fighting: What's wrong with Pakistan cricket?

Cricket is quite easily the biggest game in Pakistan, as it is in India. However, the media attention and limelight the athletes and para-athletes gather, nothing matches the financial might, the fan support (and the criticism) and the political affluence that cricket manages for the two neighbours in the sub-continent.

This political influence on a sport can go either way. Unfortunately for Pakistan cricket, years of political turmoil in Islamabad have had an impact in Lahore as well. The usage of phrases such as ‘Pakistan cricket reaches its lowest ebb’, ‘Pakistan hit a new low’ have become common and lost meaning.

The latest example of it came in the form of a whitewash by Bangladesh. With the latest loss in Rawalpindi, by 6-wickets, Pakistan have gone 10 home Tests without a win.

The last time they had such a dreadful run? They had gone without a win for 11 home Tests between 1969 and 1975.

The only teams to have had this poor a record at home in the last 25 years are/were: Zimbabwe (winless in 14 Tests since 2013) and Bangladesh (winless in 27 Tests between 2005 and 2014).

Dreadful record under captain Masood

The whitewash makes it an even more jarring result. Pakistan have only been whitewashed once at home, by England in 2022.

Pakistan have lost all five Tests under Shan Masood’s captaincy - worst start for a Men in Green skipper.

Former Test captain and legendary Javed Miandad said, “It is hurting that our cricket has come to this stage. Bangladesh deserve credit for their disciplined performances. But the way our batting has collapsed in this series is a bad sign.”

The dreadful string of results is not new and not limited to Test cricket. Pakistan didn’t progress from the group stage at the 2016 Asia Cup, from the Super 10s group stage at the 2016 T20 World Cup, exited in the Super Four in 2018 Asia Cup, were walloped by 228 runs by India in the 2023 Asia Cup and didn’t even get out of the group stage during the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup. Pakistan’s loss to USA will go down as one of the biggest shocks in tournament history.

The challenges begin from the very top with numerous changes in the board room and the knock-on effects with the selectors, coaches and captains. In this game of musical chairs, Najam Sethi has been appointed chief four times for different periods and Zaka Ashraf thrice.

12 PCB presidents since 2010

Since 2010, PCB have been helmed by 12 presidents/chairmen. Ijaz Butt (2008-2011), Zaka Ashraf (2011-2013, 2014, 2023-2024), Najam Sethi (2013-2014, 2014, 2017-2018, 2022-2023), Shaharyar Khan (2014-2017), Ehsan Mani (2018-2021), Ramiz Raja (2021-2022) and at present Mohsin Raza Naqvi (since February 2024).

Miandad feels the bickering and in-fighting within the board has affected the cricket on the field.

“I wouldn’t just blame the players because whatever has happened in the board (PCB) in the last one and half years and the captaincy and management changes have affected the team,” he said.

Former captain, Inzamam-ul-Haq said losing three series and going without a win at home in nine Tests was a worrying record.

“Home series were always considered our best chance of beating the best sides in the past. But for this to happen the batsmen need to get runs,” he said.

Once feared for their seam bowlers such as Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar, Pakistan’s bowling attack attracts attention but struggles to be consistent.

Former Test spinner, Iqbal Qasim said the team management needs to groom existing and upcoming spinners as Pakistan’s best chance of doing well at home was through spin bowlers and giving them helpful pitches.

“We don’t have bowlers of the calibre of Sarfaraz Nawaz, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar or Shoaib now. So, we should be banking on our spinners to win us Tests at home.”

Curiously, Pakistan failed to read home conditions well and it backfired in the opening Test. Without a spinner in their playing XI, Pakistan crumbled to Bangladesh’s spin bowling and had no weapons in their arsenal to produce a fight.

In-fighting within the camp

If the board room switcheroos, lack of runs and wickets on the field were not enough, there are multiple reports of in-fighting within the camp.

Rumours of skirmish between Babar Azam and Shahin Afridi circulated before the T20 World Cup this year after the batter was appointed captain at the cost of the left-arm seamer.

A leadership instability in the form of a set skipper hasn’t helped the team’s cause either. Since 2010, Pakistan have been captained by Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Azhar Ali, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam and now Shan Masood (in Tests), Shaoib Malik, Misbah, Shahid Afridi, Azhar, Sarfaraz, Hafeez, Imad Wasim and Babar (in ODIs) and Shoaib, Misbah, Afridi, Hafeez, Sarfaraz, Babar, Shadab Khan and Shaheen Afridi (in T20Is).

Babar Azam, once the captain and one to watch for in the batting department, has had a serious drop in form. He scored 42 runs in the second Test against Bangladesh and 64 runs across the two matches.

More worryingly, the right-hander has gone 16 consecutive Test innings without a half-century. His last Test fifty came at the fag end of 2022 and the prolonged lean patch has seen his Test average dip below 45. Startlingly, his highest score during this period is a 41 against Australia in Melbourne.

After the second Test, Masood also spoke about Pakistan’s poor fitness levels. In the first innings, Mohammad Ali bowled only seven of the 78.4 overs. Khurram Shahzad, who took six wickets in the first innings, bowled only seven of the 56 overs in the second.

Incidentally, Shaheen Afridi was benched for the second Test to manage his workload - or that was the official word. Naseem Shah, who made a return to Tests after a one-year gap due to injury, also missed the second Test.

“I think Test cricket demands something else in terms of fitness,” Masood said. “We played four fast bowlers in the first Test and the reason was we thought the workload would be too much for three people to manage. And that was proved in this game when we lost a fast bowler in each innings. I think even in this Test match, having just 3 bowlers and 2 spinners was less, we could have done with another pacer.”

“It isn’t all doom and gloom, there are always learnings. We got Shaheen and Naseem back in the fold, Shaheen has played consistently for a year across formats and we can’t keep throwing him in the deep end. But we need to get fitter, neater and prepare better. It is going to be a long Test and domestic season and we need to be better prepared for England.”

Pakistan cricket team have a month to iron out the chinks before hosting England in a three-match Test series. While a place in the World Test Championship final looks extremely small, a turnaround would avoid finishing in the bottom half of the standings.