Saturday, 14 September 2024
Saturday, 14 September 2024
There was a time when the Pakistan cricket team was feared — when their fast bowlers made the seam talk and their batsmen right down the order nonchalantly hammered the best of bowlers. Even when they were down, no one took Pakistan lightly.
That is history.
The present trajectory of Pakistan cricket is a chronicle of disappointments, each defeat adding another layer to a narrative of perpetual decline. The latest chapter in this saga of setbacks unfolded in Karachi's National Stadium, where Pakistan suffered a humiliating 10-wicket loss to Bangladesh in a Test match.
The beginning of the end: A series of unraveling losses
This defeat, the first time Pakistan has ever lost to Bangladesh by such a margin on home soil, is perhaps the most stark illustration of the team's struggles.
Bundled out for a mere 146 in their second innings, Pakistan's batting collapse allowed Bangladesh to chase down the target of 30 runs without losing a wicket, a scenario that would have been unthinkable a few years ago.
This Test defeat is not an isolated incident.
The T20 World Cup 2024 stands as another stark testament to Pakistan's fall from grace – knocked out in the first stage. The defeat against the USA, a cricketing minnow by any measure, was a fall that reverberated through the cricketing world. It was followed by a loss to arch-rivals India, a defeat that always cuts deeper for Pakistani fans.
The World Cup debacle was merely the culmination of a series of setbacks. In the lead-up to the tournament, Pakistan's form was already showing cracks. A 2-0 loss in a T20I series against England, a drawn 2-2 series against a second-string New Zealand missing many of its star players, a T20I loss to Ireland in May.
The rot extends beyond the shortest format of the game. In January 2024, Pakistan's tour of New Zealand ended in a bruising 4-1 defeat in the five-match series, exposing vulnerabilities across all aspects of their game. It came in the wake of their failure to reach the semi-finals of the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Perhaps most concerning for Pakistani cricket fans is the team's performance in Test matches, especially on home soil. Once renowned for their ability to dominate visiting teams, Pakistan now seems unable to secure victory even in familiar conditions.
Since 8 February, 2021, when they last tasted victory against South Africa, Pakistan has failed to win a single Test match at home.
In the nine home Tests played since 2022, the team has lost five and drawn four, a record that would have been unthinkable in years past.
The fall of Pakistan cricket is not a sudden collapse, but a slow, painful descent that has been years in the making. It's a story of mismanagement, political interference, and a cricketing culture that seems to have lost its way.
The roots of this decline stretch back to 2009, when a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore turned Pakistan into a cricketing pariah.
For years, "home" matches were played in the sterile stadiums of the UAE, robbing a generation of players of the fervor of true home support.
This exile undoubtedly played a role in eroding Pakistan's cricketing identity. Playing in empty stadiums in Dubai could never replicate the roar of Lahore or the pressure of Karachi.
The internal struggles: Management, culture, and lost identity
But to blame Pakistan's woes solely on external factors would be to ignore the internal rot that has set in. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has become a revolving door of chairmen and policies, each new administration promising revolution but delivering confusion. This lack of stability at the top has trickled down to affect every level of cricket in the country.
The case of Mohammad Amir, the prodigious fast bowler who went from national hero to villain and back again, is representative of Pakistan cricket's larger narrative. His story – of talent, temptation, punishment, and an unfulfilled comeback – represents the potential squandered and lessons unlearned that plague Pakistani cricket.
The domestic cricket structure, once a furnace that forged raw talent into world-beaters, now resembles a labyrinth where promising players get lost. The introduction of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) was meant to be the panacea, bringing glamour and global attention. Instead, it has become a brief, glitzy distraction from the underlying issues. While it has provided a platform for young talent, it hasn't addressed the fundamental problems in Pakistan's cricket development system.
Then there’s the relationship with the fans—a passionate, vocal, and often unforgiving group who demand excellence from their heroes. The team’s failures are dissected in public, with players often facing harsh criticism that borders on vitriol.
Social media has amplified this, with every dropped catch or misjudged shot leading to a barrage of abuse. It’s a tough environment to thrive in, and many players have wilted under the pressure.
Perhaps the most telling sign of Pakistan cricket’s current state is the lack of belief. Where once there was confidence — sometimes bordering on arrogance — there is now doubt.
Even the most ardent supporters seem to approach matches with a sense of dread, waiting for the inevitable collapse rather than the exhilarating victory. And that is the true tragedy of Pakistan cricket today: a team that was once known for its ability to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat is now more likely to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Yes, Pakistan are down. But don’t count them out. After all, Pakistan cricket has a knack of bouncing back just when it seems down for the count. Like an unpredictable plot twist in a Bollywood movie, the team might just surprise everyone.
The real question is, how long will it take for the next "comeback" to materialize? And when it does, will it stick around longer than a captain in the Pakistan Cricket Board's revolving door?
