Beneath grey skies on the Rawalpindi Cricket Floor, Bangladesh cricket veteran Shakib Al Hasan bowled Pakistan leg-spin bowler Abrar Ahmed to lock sealing the group’s six-wicket victory within the second Take a look at match and a historic first-ever victory over the house aspect within the males’s Take a look at sequence.
On Tuesday afternoon, Shakib punched the air and hugged his teammate Mushfiqur Rahim, whereas different teammates rushed to the bottom to affix within the celebrations. Earlier than the sequence, the Bengals had misplaced 12 of the 13 video games between the 2 sides.
As Pakistan captain Shan Masood and his group trudged off the bottom, the darkish clouds mirrored the doom and gloom of Pakistan cricket. The boys’s group have simply swept their opponents in a house Take a look at sequence for simply the second time of their historical past.
Pakistan are but to win a Take a look at match at dwelling since February 2021 and are on a 10-match winless streak.
What’s incorrect with Pakistan cricket group?
Traditionally, Pakistan might have been one among cricket’s powerhouses, however their efficiency in all codecs of the sport has declined dramatically in latest occasions. The victories within the 1992 ICC Males’s 50-over World Cup and the 2009 T20 World Cup have develop into a distant reminiscence.
Be it losses to lower-ranked groups in bilateral sequence or stunning leads to international occasions, Pakistan cricket followers have witnessed all of it in recent times.
Pakistan’s final notable efficiency was on the T20 World Cup in Australia in November 2022, the place they misplaced the ultimate in a lopsided vogue to England.
What’s the consequence for Pakistan since November 2022?
Pakistan didn’t advance past the primary spherical of the 2024 T20 World Cup, the place they infamously misplaced to cricketing novices the USA, who solely certified as one of many co-hosts.
Forward of the World Cup, Pakistan misplaced to Eire in a T20 match for the primary time.
On the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India, Pakistan misplaced 5 out of 9 matches and obtained eradicated within the group stage.
Previously 5 Take a look at sequence, Pakistan has received one match – away in opposition to Sri Lanka in July 2023.
Trying on the numbers:
- take a look at: Performed 12 video games, received 2 video games, misplaced 8 video games, and drew 2 video games
- ODI: Performed 25 video games, received 14 video games, misplaced 10 video games, no consequence 1
- T20: Performed 54 video games, received 25, misplaced 26, tied 1, no consequence 2
What occurred to cricket in Pakistan? After I was enjoying within the PSL, the extent of that league was very excessive, the gamers had an excellent work ethic and the youth that have been proven have been magic.
What occurred there?
— Kevin Peterson 🦏 (@KP24) August 26, 2024
Can anybody clarify why Pakistan is so poor?
It is tough, however Al Jazeera requested Micky Arthur, who was Pakistan head coach from 2016 to 2019 and uncared for issues when he grew to become group director in 2023.
Arthur believes Pakistan doesn’t lack “high quality gamers”.
“There are some unimaginable gamers [on the Pakistan side]however what the group lacks is consistency,” Arthur mentioned shortly after Pakistan’s defeat within the second Take a look at.
“Stability comes from the highest: consistency in group choice, participant roles and ensuring each participant understands their position,” he defined.
“The instability in Pakistan cricket creates chaos and gamers find yourself enjoying for themselves as a result of they do not know what the following regime has in thoughts. It breeds mediocrity.
Bangladesh surges to fourth place #WTC25 On the factors desk after their historic win over Pakistan! 🇧🇩👏#BCB #cricket #Bangladesh #PAKvBAN #WTC25 pic.twitter.com/eIpZLVfSTx
— Bengal Cricket (@BCBtigers) September 3, 2024
What is that this “instability”?
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has undergone an upheaval since its then chairman Ramiz Raja was sacked by the federal authorities in late 2022. The nation’s cricket governing physique has since been led by three presidents, every of whom has made a sequence of adjustments to backroom employees and group management.
The present PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has taken workplace since February 6 and can also be the Minister of Inside of Pakistan.
How does it have an effect on the captain of the group?
Pakistan’s ignominious group stage exit from the ODI World Cup in November was adopted by the resignation of their all-round captain Babar Azam.
The PCB determined to separate the position of captaincy and hand over the management of the Take a look at group to Masood, whereas quick bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has been entrusted with the management of the T20 aspect.
Nevertheless, when Naqvi took over as PCB chairman, he sacked Afridi after only one sequence and reinstated Babar.
The query of ODI captaincy stays unresolved as Pakistan haven’t performed on this format since November.
How many individuals have coached Pakistan since November 2022?
seven! In chronological order, they’re: Saqlain Mushtaq, Abdul Rehman (interim coach), Grant Bradburn, Mohammad Hafeez, Azhar Mahmood (interim coach), Gary Kirsten (present white-ball coach) and Jason Gillespie (present red-ball coach).
Arthur, who was Pakistan’s coach after they received their final ICC title, the ICC Champions Trophy, in 2017, feels the revolving door coverage has adversely affected the group.
“Totally different coaches will convey totally different concepts to the gamers and play totally different roles for the gamers,” mentioned the 56-year-old former South Africa coach.
“This creates uncertainty, inconsistency, and forces gamers to begin combating for themselves,” Arthur mentioned.
Pakistan has a month to combine. Bangladesh performed some improbable cricket. England received 3-0 after they final visited in 2022 and this might be a much bigger problem. There’s a critical menace of back-to-back whitewashing at dwelling. Time is brief…however what are you going to vary?
— Atif Nawaz (@AatifNawaz) September 3, 2024
Who’re the big-name gamers who underperformed?
Babar, Afridi and Shadab Khan.
Arthur believes the trio are “undoubtedly excellent gamers” however can solely be judged on their kind.
“Typically gamers are preoccupied with eager about what is going on on round them as a substitute of specializing in themselves,” Arthur mentioned.
Whereas Babar and Afridi’s figures have taken a critical hit in Take a look at cricket, former vice-captain and limited-overs specialist Shadab has additionally didn’t stay as much as expectations in Worldwide Cricket Federation occasions. Listed here are the cross-format numbers since 2023:
Babar Azam (batsman)
- Variety of video games performed: 57
- Variety of innings: 61
- Variety of runs: 2,172
- Highest rating: 151
- common 37.44
- Hit fee 88.25
- 100 seconds: 3
- Fifties: 16
Shaheen Shah Afridi (bowling)
- Variety of video games performed: 49
- Variety of innings: 54
- Variety of wickets: 96
- Greatest bowling figures: 5-54
- Common: 24.19
- Financial system fee: 5.1
- Hit share: 28.4
- 5 wickets bowled: 1
Shadab Khan (all-around)
- Variety of video games performed: 37
- Variety of runs: 462
- Highest rating: 48
- Batting common: 18.48
- 100 seconds: 0
- 50 seconds: 0
- Wickets: 24
- Greatest bowling figures: 4-27
- Bowling common: 48.41
- 5 wickets bowled: 0
How does the captain react to failure?
Take a look at captain Masood mentioned he was “very dissatisfied” after the loss to Bangladesh.
He summed it up this manner: “We’re excited concerning the dwelling season. The story is similar as Australia, we have not discovered our classes. We thought we performed properly in Australia however did not do the job properly. That is what we have to work on factor. We have had this occur 4 occasions throughout my tenure the place we allowed the opposition to get again into the sport after being dominant.
There have been 5 defeats in 5 Assessments when Masood was captain. Ought to he resign?
Masood has struggled for kind as a batsman since taking up as Take a look at captaincy. He scored 286 runs in 5 video games and scored three half-centuries with scores of 60 runs.
However Arthur mentioned the tall, left-handed hitter wasn’t responsible — not fully.
“Shan Masood might be an excellent captain however he’ll want time to play his main position in scoring,” the South African coach mentioned.
“That is the place coaches and assist employees come into play.
“They want to have the ability to take the strain off him so he can carry out properly on the sphere. When a captain is assured in his sport and feels supported, he’ll finally play higher.
Arthur mentioned Massoud is the “proper individual” and will develop into an excellent captain if given time and assist.
What was the response of the PCB Chairman?
Naqvi predicted extra adjustments after Pakistan’s T20 World Cup loss to India in June and termed the transfer “surgical procedure”.
After the defeat within the first Take a look at in opposition to Bangladesh, he mentioned: “The issue is [team] The choice committee had no gamers out there for choice.
“I talked about surgical procedure as a result of we have to resolve our issues, however once we take into consideration the way to resolve these issues, we haven’t any pool of gamers to attract on. The entire system is a large number.
