Today Pakistan Cricket Team will play its 3rd T20 Cricket World Cup match against Canada at Nassau County Stadium, New York. After having lost to USA and India, Pakistan’s chances to qualify to the super 8 are very bleak, yet not impossible.
Let’s have a look at the points table :
In order to move up in next stage,
- Pakistan must win both remaining T20 World Cup matches against Ireland and Canada with a big margin (Likely).
- If any of its match is washed out by rain and points are halved, Pakistan exits. (Unlikely)
- India defeats USA (Likely)
- Ireland defeats USA (50-50 chance).
- Pakistan must keep its Net Run Rate ahead of USA (Very tricky). Presently its +0.626 and -0.150 respectively.
This has become a new normal for Pakistan Cricket that they get dependent upon net run rate and other team’s win-loss result for their own survival in tournament.
Who is to blame?
1992 World Champion nation which produced a class of Players like Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar is at its all-time low. We have curated a list of reason behind such sorry state of affair:
Political Influence
Political Influence: In 2019 ICC World Cup, then Captain Sarfaraz Ahmed defied the tweet advise of Imran Khan and chose to bowl against India. He got abruptly removed as a captain from all 3 formats of Cricket and dropped from the team after the world cup.
On the other hand, Babar Azam becomes captain in all 3 formats just because his cover drive was spectacular to someone’s eyes.
PCB Mismanagement
ICC grants $38 million dollars to PCB every year, but no one know where this money goes. The domestic cricket infrastructure of Pakistan is still in poor condition. Their Head Coach Gary Kirsten joins the team just 12 days before the tournament. Mohsin Naqvi, PCB Chairman is a politician who has little knowledge of Cricket, and he runs the board with advise of someone dear to him.
The Domestic director, PSL director and International director of PCB are from other fields, and not ex-cricketers. They are appointed basis politics only.
Bizarre Team Selection
The team selection is done basis favoritism, nepotism and not merit. Imad Wasim hid his knee injury and played against India. Who gave him fitness certificate? Mohammad Amir took retirement in 2020 and came back to Pakistani Team in 2024. Is this a progressive thinking?
There are rumors that Shaheen Shah Afridi doesn’t talk to Babar Azam owing to lack of trust and negative competition among them.
On the lines of WI and SL, Is Pakistan Cricket pushing itself towards same fate?
