It’s hard to ignore the humiliating snub that 45 Pakistani players faced at The Hundred draft. The message from the global cricket fraternity is loud & clear; our brand of cricket hasn’t evolved with the ever-changing dynamics of modern day cricket. The bigger concern is that it’s not just about missing out on one tournament. Instead the rot is deeper! We’re not keeping up with the pace at which the game is changing and we can’t just pretend it’s a small problem!
Babar, Rizwan, Saud, Abdullah, all of them may possess classy shots & finesse in their stroke-play, but the fact of the matter is that they just aren’t scoring fast enough & that reflects vividly in the stats. Likewise, the bowlers also seem to have lost their mojo. Shaheen Shah used to pose a serious threat with the new ball, but lately his performances have been utterly mediocre. Naseem Shah & Haris Rauf have not done anything of note in the recent past either. Abrar Ahmad bowled well against India in the Champions Trophy game, but he also lacks the element of consistency in his bowling.
It all comes down to the mindset eventually & our mindset as a team has unfortunately not been aggressive enough. Modern white ball cricket is all about being brave, taking risks and trying new things. These are some aspects that we need to learn & adapt to immediately, if we are to make a mark against the top sides.
When our players go unpicked in competitions like The Hundred, it shows that the cricketing world doubts the abilities of our players. This is an alarming sign vis a vis the future of Pakistan cricket. A sign that needs to be addressed without further ado.
The main area of concern is once again the quality of training & brand of cricket our boys play in the domestic arena. Is the current system capable enough to help our cricketers meet the requirements of the big leagues? Are our pitches and tournaments tough enough? The talent, no doubt, is there, but that talent is not being taught the skills required to excel at the international stage!
There’s a dire need to make training harder. Batters must be pushed to improve their power hitting ability. Bowlers need to re-learn the art of bowling yorkers & effective slower bouncers. It goes without saying that variations hold key in the modern day game.
The fact that no Pakistani player got picked for The-Hundred is a wake-up call. We need to look at the numbers and see where we’re going wrong. Our method of play needs to change. Taking calculated risks and training our players better should be the main motto. We need to get back to being one of the best white ball teams in the world. We need to rewrite the story in order to bring back the glorious days of Pakistan Cricket.
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