Underneath gray skies on the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, veteran Bangladesh cricketer Shakib Al Hasan smashed Pakistani leg-spin bowler Abrar Ahmed for a boundary that sealed his workforce’s six-wicket win in the second one Take a look at fit and a historical first males’s Take a look at sequence win over the house aspect.
Shakib punched the breeze and embraced his teammate Mushfiqur Rahim because the remains in their teammates pressed for time onto the field to attach within the celebrations on Tuesday afternoon. Ahead of the sequence, Bangladesh had misplaced 12 of the 13 fits between the 2 facets.
As Pakistan captain Shan Masood and his aspect trudged off the field, the black clouds mirrored the doom and gloom climate Pakistan cricket. The boys’s aspect had simply been clean-swept in a house Take a look at sequence for simplest the second one week of their historical past.
Pakistan have no longer received a Take a look at fit at house since February 2021 – a winless streak of 10 video games.
What has long gone flawed with the Pakistan cricket workforce?
Traditionally, Pakistan could have been certainly one of cricket’s powerhouses, however their contemporary performances have nosedived throughout all codecs of the sport. The triumphant runs on the ICC Males’s 50-over Global Cup in 1992 and the T20 Global Cup in 2009 are a isolated reminiscence.
Be it defeats in opposition to lower-ranked facets in bilateral sequence or injury leads to international occasions, Pakistani cricket lovers have perceptible all of it lately.
Pakistan’s extreme noteceable efficiency got here in November 2022 on the T20 Global Cup in Australia, the place they in the end misplaced a one-sided ultimate in opposition to England.
What have Pakistan’s effects been like since November 2022?
Pakistan didn’t advance past the primary around on the T20 Global Cup 2024 after they infamously misplaced to cricket rookies america, who simplest certified for the match as probably the most co-hosts.
Within the lead-up to the match, Pakistan misplaced a T20 fit in opposition to Eire for the primary week.
On the Cricket Global Cup 2023 in Republic of India, Pakistan misplaced 5 in their 9 fits and exited the match on the organization level.
In their extreme 5 Take a look at sequence, Pakistan have received one – away to Sri Lanka in July 2023.
In numbers:
- Assessments: Performed 12, received 2, misplaced 8, drawn 2
- ODIs: Performed 25, received 14, misplaced 10, deny consequence 1
- T20s: Performed 54, received 25, misplaced 26, fix 1, deny consequence 2
What took place to cricket in Pakistan? After I performed the PSL, the usual of that league was once super, the avid gamers had an excellent paintings ethic and the children on show have been enchanment.
What’s taking place there?
— Kevin Pietersen🦏 (@KP24) August 26, 2024
Can any person give an explanation for why Pakistan had been so unpriviledged?
It’s dried, however Al Jazeera requested Micky Arthur, who was once Pakistan’s head schoolmaster from 2016 to 2019 and lost sight of affairs as workforce director in 2023.
Arthur believes Pakistan haven’t any deficit of “quality players”.
“There are some incredible players [on the Pakistan side], but what the team lacks is stability,” Arthur mentioned moments upcoming Pakistan’s loss in the second one Take a look at.
“Stability comes from the top: in team selection, consistency in players’ roles and making sure every player understands his role,” he defined.
“The instability within Pakistan cricket creates chaos, and the players ultimately start playing for themselves because they do not know what the next regime has in mind. It breeds mediocrity.”
Bangladesh rockets to fourth playground within the #WTC25 standings upcoming their historical sequence win over Pakistan! 🇧🇩👏#BCB #Cricket #Bangladesh #PAKvBAN #WTC25 pic.twitter.com/eIpZLVfSTx
— Bangladesh Cricket (@BCBtigers) September 3, 2024
What’s this ‘instability’?
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been thru an upheaval since overdue 2022 when then-Chairman Ramiz Raja was once sacked through the government. The rustic’s cricket ruling frame has since been led through 3 chairmen, each and every bringing with him a dimension of adjustments to backroom body of workers and workforce management.
The wave PCB head, Mohsin Naqvi, has been in price since February 6, and he additionally performs the position of Pakistan’s inner minister.
How has it affected the workforce’s captaincy?
Pakistan’s ignominious group-stage walk from the ODI Global Cup in November was once adopted through their all-format captain Babar Azam’s depart.
The PCB determined to fracture the captain’s position and passed the reins of the Take a look at workforce to Masood occasion speedy bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi was once entrusted with the T20 management.
On the other hand, when Naqvi took over as PCB chairman, he sacked Afridi upcoming only one sequence and reinstated Babar.
As for the ODI captaincy, the subject extra up within the breeze as Pakistan have no longer performed within the layout since November.
What number of society have coached Pakistan since November 2022?
Seven! In chronological form, they’re: Saqlain Mushtaq, Abdul Rehman (meantime schoolmaster), Provide Bradburn, Mohammad Hafeez, Azhar Mahmood (meantime schoolmaster), Gary Kirsten (wave white-ball schoolmaster) and Jason Gillespie (wave red-ball schoolmaster).
Arthur was once Pakistan’s schoolmaster after they received their extreme ICC name, the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017, and he believes the revolving door coverage is having a unfavourable impact at the workforce.
“Different coaches bring different ideas and have different roles for the players, ” the 56-year-old former South Africa schoolmaster mentioned.
“It leads to uncertainty, inconsistency and forces players to start playing for themselves,” Arthur mentioned.
Pakistan have a year to get it in combination. Bangladesh performed some skillful cricket. England, who received 3-0 on their extreme consult with in 2022, will probably be an excellent better problem. There’s a significant blackmail of again to again whitewashes at house. There’s very tiny week…however what you exchange?
— Aatif Nawaz (@AatifNawaz) September 3, 2024
Who’re one of the underperforming big-name avid gamers?
Babar, Afridi and Shadab Khan.
Arthur believes those 3 are “undoubtedly very good players” however will also be judged simplest on their method.
“Sometimes players get wrapped up in thinking what’s going on around them instead of focusing on their form,” Arthur mentioned.
In Take a look at cricket, Babar’s and Afridi’s numbers have taken a horrific fritter away and previous vice captain and limited-overs specialist Shadab has didn’t are living as much as expectancies in ICC occasions. Listed here are their cross-format numbers since 2023:
Babar Azam (batting)
- Fits: 57
- Innings: 61
- Runs: 2,172
- Absolute best rating: 151
- Reasonable 37.44
- Collision fee 88.25
- 100s: 3
- 50s: 16
Shaheen Shah Afridi (bowling)
- Fits: 49
- Innings: 54
- Wickets: 96
- Easiest bowling figures: 5-54
- Reasonable: 24.19
- Economic system fee: 5.1
- Collision fee: 28.4
- 5-wicket hauls: 1
Shadab Khan (all-round)
- Fits: 37
- Runs: 462
- Absolute best rating: 48
- Batting moderate: 18.48
- 100s: 0
- 50s: 0
- Wickets: 24
- Easiest bowling figures: 4-27
- Bowling moderate: 48.41
- 5-wicket hauls: 0
How did the captain react to the defeat?
Masood, the Take a look at captain, mentioned he was once “extremely disappointed” upcoming the loss in opposition to Bangladesh.
Right here’s how he summed it up: “We were excited for the home season. The story has been the same as Australia, and we have not learnt our lessons. We thought we were playing good cricket in Australia but not doing the job. That’s something we need to work on. It has happened four times in my tenure that we have let the opposition back into the contest after dominating.”
5 losses in 5 Assessments with Masood as captain. Must he surrender?
Masood has struggled with method as a batter since taking at the Take a look at captain’s position. He has made 286 runs in 5 fits and struck 3 half-centuries with a top rating of 60.
However the majestic left-handed batter isn’t to be blamed – no longer solely, in line with Arthur.
“Shan Masood is going to be a very good captain, but he needs to be given the time to develop his primary role of scoring runs,” the South African schoolmaster mentioned.
“That’s the place the coaches and aid body of workers are available in.
“They need to be able to take that pressure off him so he can deliver on the field. When a captain is confident in his own game and feels supported, he ends up playing much better.”
Arthur mentioned Masood is the “right person” who could be a superb captain if he’s given week and aid.
How has PCB chair answered?
Naqvi predicted extra adjustments upcoming Pakistan’s loss to Republic of India on the T20 Global Cup in June and famously known as the motion a “surgery”.
And upcoming upcoming the loss within the first Take a look at in opposition to Bangladesh, he mentioned: “The disorder is the [team] variety committee has deny lake of avid gamers to choose between.
“I spoke of surgery because we need to fix our problems, but when we look at how to resolve them, we don’t have any player pool which we can draw from. The whole system was a mess.”