No method in PCB’s madness | Sports | thenews.pk
No method in PCB’s madness
Sami Subhani
Sports
September 6, 2026
Following its test series defeat to England away from home, the Pakistan Cricket Team is now at the bottom of the ICC World Test Championship rankings and third from bottom in the overall test team rankings, with only the West Indies and Zimbabwe below it. While the rankings in the white-ball/limited-over formats are more respectable, it has been over four years since the team made it to the semi-finals of a major ICC tournament. It is hard to think of a more sustained spell of disappointment in the history of this team. As such, the question naturally emerges: are we watching the death of Pakistani cricket?
For those who think this diagnosis is a bit premature and/or panicky, it is important to remember that it is not based on results or rankings alone. These are just the symptoms of the underlying disease. The fact is that any team as profoundly lacking in talent as Pakistan currently is would inevitably find itself in the same position.
Former England great Stuart Broad’s analysis that his country was facing a ‘poor side’ and should cruise to a 3-0 victory in the test series was made before a ball was bowled in the series, but one only had to look through the Pakistan squad to arrive at the same conclusion.
The most renowned batsmen in the lineup, ‘King’
The most renowned batsmen in the lineup, ‘King’ Babar Azam, has just nine test centuries to his name despite having been in the game for almost a decade. He has more than any other current Pakistani player. Much has been made of Babar’s decline in form. His last test century came four years ago, while his last white-ball century came almost a year ago against Sri Lanka at home, and that too after a gap of almost two years. Rather than a player out of form, he increasingly looks like someone who had a purple patch before his actual abilities caught up with him.
With a spearhead like this, Pakistan’s batting lineup was thoroughly exposed in English conditions. The series thus far has produced just two half-centuries and a lot of embarrassing dismissals. Imam-ul-Haq did not even bother to bat in the second test, troubled as he was by a calf strain. England’s batters did not even have to take all ten wickets to bowl us out twice in the Lord’s test.
Over the years, there have been two kinds of Pakistani batters. There have been the flair players like Zaheer Abbas, Miandad and Inzamam, who could be aggressive and attack the bowlers. Then there is the grit, discipline and patience of the Younis Khans and Misbah ul Haqs. Pakistan’s current batting lineup has neither, though, technique-wise, they seem to be in the mould of the latter. And while the Misbah/Younis style of batting might have carried Pakistan to the top spot in the test rankings a decade ago, it does not quite cut it in today’s red-ball game.
The Test Championship rules have turned the long-format
The Test Championship rules have turned the long-format on its head. What was once a game of flat pitches and a lot of draws has become much more like the limited-overs game. Draws do not earn a team much in the Test Championship era and countries have responded by preparing pitches that are more likely to lead to a win for their team. Other changes like the widespread adoption of the ‘wobble-seam’ and bowling’s transformation into a science where big data ruthlessly picks apart a batter’s weaknesses have also come at the expense of orthodox approaches. The batters who dominate today are the ones willing to go beyond the ‘textbook’ and come up with innovative ways of attacking opposition bowlers. Strike-rates and run-rates are both up.
People might look at the current Pakistani batters and ask: ‘where is the coaching? ‘ But, if anything, there is some overcoaching that appears to be at play here and our batters might actually do better if they approach the game like they are facing a tape-ball. One would think street cricket comes naturally to our players, but not this lot. This perhaps also explains why performances in white-ball cricket have also been disappointing.
And if what has happened to our batters is concerning, the state of our bowling is downright frightening. Over the two tests in England, the bowling attack has struggled to hit 135 kilometres per hour to say nothing of the 140kph that one usually associates with Pakistani seamers. Command of line and length was missing among everyone except Mohammad Abbas.
To be fair, Abbas did manage to claim
To be fair, Abbas did manage to claim five wickets in the second innings at Lord’s and earn himself a place on its prestigious honours board. He is proficient with the ‘wobble seam’ and makes up for a lack of pace with control. The problem is that the rest of the bowling lineup are basically inferior versions of him.
Too much of the same thing and you become predictable and the England batters appear to have gotten some good practice sessions out of Pakistan, particularly in the first test. Variety could have been provided by Shaheen Afridi or Naseem Shah. The former might be struggling with his pace, but the latter’s exclusion from the test squad is puzzling. Combine this with the decision to put out spin-friendly wickets when the Australians recently toured Pakistan and it seems that those who run this country’s cricket have just lost confidence in what has traditionally been Pakistan’s strong suit.
Speaking of those who run Pakistan cricket, they are having a shocker of their own. Their response to the blowouts in the first two tests in England has been to drop seven players, including the stand-in captain for the first test, Salman Ali Agha. Spinner Ali Usman, who took five wickets in the first test, was also among those sent home. Sarfraz Ahmed and Umar Gul, the red-ball head coach and bowling coach, respectively, have been released from their positions. Sarfraz was in the job for just four months. Misbah-ul-Haq has resigned from the selection committee. Talk about hitting the panic button.
Of the seven replacement players, five are uncapped
Of the seven replacement players, five are uncapped at the test level. Pakistan cricket is sick and the patient’s fate appears to be in the hands of a very erratic doctor. Needless to say, this overhaul has been roundly criticised and mocked. Who does this with one test still to go? In fact, knee-jerk and overly frequent changes of players, coaches and administrators are likely a big part of why Pakistan cricket finds itself in its current position.
National selector Aaqib Javed has defended the mid-series changes and has also pointed to the quality of the available players as the real problem. In a way, he is right about the latter. But it is the job of administrators to help pick and develop players. The decline in Pakistan cricket has now been going on long enough for questions to be asked of those running the show.
How is it that Mohammad Abbas, Pakistan’s best red-ball seamer right now, has reached the age of 36 while only playing 32 tests? Why has Babar been made captain again? Why is Shaheen Afridi losing his pace and what is being done about it? Why have so many average batters seemingly remained in the team despite mediocre performances over the years, particularly in overseas conditions?
While the PCB has recently implemented changes like
While the PCB has recently implemented changes like strengthening the link between player development and domestic cricket and other reforms, the impact will likely take time to materialise. But some things have just not worked. The PSL, for one, appears to have failed as a platform for developing genuine talent. For all the franchise T20 cricket Pakistani players are now playing, they are not having great success in white-ball cricket.
If there is any reason to be encouraged, it is that cricket has changed in ways that actually play to Pakistan’s strengths. The game is a lot more attacking, reverse swing is back and bowlers are a bigger part of the game after almost two decades of batting dominance. International cricket has also returned to Pakistan and foreign coaches are willing to work with the team — though perhaps they need more stability. The doctor has all the tools to heal the patient, but even the best medicines are only as good as the doctor administering them. For now, the only thing this country is really good at remains on life support.
Source: www.thenews.pk
