It has been tradition of
Pakistan Cricket that before start of every WC they actually are never ready for
it, whether it is the won they won in 1992 or it is the one they went out in the
first round in 2007. Same old faces running the favorite sport of more than 20
billion people, every time just the Chairman is changed but these faces don’t go
anywhere. There is no future planning to pick a bunch of players from domestic
circuit and give them some good A team tours. It was a tradition of Pakistan
cricket to give chances to young players so that they can play for more time,
but now things have been changed. Since misbah’s arrival in team, Pakistan has
started to pick the “chalay hue kartoos” (bullets that have already been used
and at present are of no use). Again and again same players are making come
backs and we can surely have an award competition for them, naming “Master of
Comebacks”, and nominees for the same are Shoaib Malik, Imran Farhat, Kamran
Akmal, Asad Shafiq, Sohail Tanvir and the list goes on. These bunch of players
have made some serious number of come backs in to national team despite their
failure at domestic level as well as international level. But thanks to their
supporters back in the PCB who help them in their return. There have been a
handful of “young” players in last 4 years, who have been given chance at
international level, and that too one because of media pressure (in case of
Haris Sohail) and second due to some main player injury (in case of Yasir Shah).
After the Shehryar Khan’s re-entry in the PCB, there were a few hopes for
Pakistan cricket lovers that he has the experience and guts to revive Pakistan
cricket but sadly it was not the case. Till date it has been observed that he is
under great pressure and has not been able to deliver.
Former test cricket and current Chief selector and Manager Moin Khan has been
the most powerful man so far in Shehryar Khan’s second regime. He is selecting
the team and also managing the team on all foreign tours. Although the main duty
of the selection committee is to select the players from the current team and
from domestic circuit, but sadly in this case Moin Khan is sending the names of
the players via email to other memebers of selection committee and the memebers
of selection committee are simply agreeing with Chief Selector, because they
don’t want to lose their job. Selections committee’s stand on omiiting Fawad
Alam is very questionable and chairman PCB must have a say to selection
committee. Nobody in the PCB can reply to omission of Sadaf Hussain, Fawad Alam,
Hammad Azam and like so many other talented players.
Coach Waqar Younis has a very good repute as a player at International level but
one have to admit that his skills as a coach are worse. He has been with the
team before as well but his presence has never impressed players to perform well
and more often he name has come in player politics.
Pakistan captain Misbah himself is aged 40 and he wants himself to be safe and
secure so that’s why he is always a yes man to board, selection committee and
coaches. To keep his place secure he has to indulge his own bunch of players who
support him IN and OFF the field. Misbah has been a very defensive captain,
although one must agree to the point that he don’t have the likes of great
players like other Pakistan captain has but he has been very disappointing in
and out the field. His body language in the center has neither been impressive
to his XI nor for fans. In cricket it is the captain who has to stand tall in
all sort of circumstances but misbah has failed to do in mist of the cases.
Beyond all these characters we must not forget the role of characters that are
coaching and captaining the domestic sides. The domestic structure of PCB is
really poor but still we are producing the stars. The New Zealand series was
last chance for Pakistan to make a good combination and identify the players
that are going to play WC but sadly it has not been the case. We do not even
lost the series but also we still don’t know the combination. Bowling action of
Saeed Ajmal, Muhammad Hafeez, injureies of Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Sohaib
Maqsood are big concern. Team management has dealt poorly with Muhammad Irfan,
as he can be asset and should be taken care off but again they played him in all
5 ODIs despite knowing that he just heave recovered from major injury. Keeping
in view all points PCB chairman has to step in and should question all
individuals, selection committee for its poor selection, team management for
their poor planning, captain for his in field decisions. It’s very important to
do it now otherwise misery of Pakistan cricket will hurt the fans more.