‘Pakistan cricket has no leaders, 99.5 per cent of the coaches are failed cricketers’

Shamik Chakrabarty, Mumbai

The only positive for Pakistan from the Asian Games men’s cricket final was that, despite not being at full strength, they stretched a star-studded India. Eventually, the margin of defeat was 19 runs, but there was a period in the middle overs when they were very much in the game. India’s T20I captain Shreyas Iyer admitted as much after the match. It was smart thinking from the skipper to get through the fifth and sixth bowlers quickly so that he could bring Jasprit Bumrah back for his second spell in the 14th over.

Beyond the fight, though, Pakistan had only the silver medal to show for their efforts, as India retained the gold. India’s victory came along expected lines, while Pakistan punching above their weight to make a match of it offered the surprise.

It has come to this. Once a great on-field rivalry, bigger than the Ashes in terms of hype and eyeballs, India now have complete dominance over Pakistan. Consider this: of the 18 T20Is played between the arch-rivals, India have won 15 and Pakistan three. In ICC World Cups, across ODIs and T20Is combined, India lead the head-to-head 15-1.

Why has it become so lopsided?

“Pakistan cricket has no leaders, and that’s the primary reason,” Shoaib Mohammad, the former Pakistan opener, said while speaking to RevSportz. “The PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) has 230 coaches on its payroll, and 99.5 per cent of them are failed cricketers. They haven’t played at the highest level and have no idea how things operate at the highest level.”

Shoaib emphasised the need for a strong and shrewd captain.

“Things have become so data-driven, they are just following the numbers,” observed the son of the great Hanif Mohammad. “In cricket, you need to take decisions on the spot. It’s not like you have done your homework the night before the game. A good leader does that. The role of a captain is akin to the job of a coach in football. He is the boss. Pakistan cricket, unfortunately, has no captain.”

Shoaib went on: “Unlike India or Australia, the players who are coming into the Pakistan senior team set-up aren’t finished articles. They are a work in progress. You are throwing the youngsters in at the deep end, but you don’t have coaches to nurture them.”

The former batsman called Pakistan’s cricket structure “faulty”, saying it was not conducive to producing players who can stand their ground in high-octane international cricket.

“The powers-that-be have put all their eggs in one basket, the Pakistan Super League,” said Shoaib. “First-class cricket, the rigours of which toughen up a player, has fallen down the pecking order. And this is the result. Also, pitches aren’t good in domestic cricket. They are either flat or underprepared, and umpiring is not up to the mark in domestic and club cricket.”

Maybe Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB chairman, would do well to listen to the former cricketers in his country, going beyond his habit of playing to the gallery.

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