Former Wicketkeeper says Flawed System and Ego-driven Selections Pulling Cricket Down
Pakistan’s below-par skills were brutally exposed against a far-superior India in the Group A clash of the T20 Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday. While the world champions coasted to a seven-wicket win, Pakistan’s despair was best summed up by former wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal – who drew a striking parallel with the decline of the country’s hockey.
Pakistan cricket is following the same path as its hockey. It is happening with a lot of planning. Cricket is being pulled down.
Pakistan Fold for 127 After Opting to Bat
Pakistan could only muster a modest 127/9 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Opener Sahibzada Farhan’s 44-ball 40 and Shaheen Shah Afridi’s late 33 not out off 16 saved them from an even more embarrassing total. Without veterans Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan were left exposed against India’s spinners. Kuldeep Yadav spun webs with 3/18, while Axar Patel (2/18) and Varun Chakravarthy (1/24) kept the pressure tight.
India Cruise to Second Straight Win
Chasing 128, India made light work of the target in just 15.5 overs. Abhishek Sharma blazed away with 31 off 13 balls before falling to Saim Ayub. Shubman Gill managed only 10, while Ayub (3/35) picked all three Indian wickets to fall. Captain Suryakumar Yadav anchored with an unbeaten 47 off 37, stitching a 56-run stand with Tilak Verma (31). Shivam Dube finished on 10 not out as India sealed a comfortable victory.
The reason for Pakistan’s downfall is that we have compromised our domestic cricket. Then the selection criteria shifted from performance to liking and disliking. The game is not run thinking about the betterment of the team but to settle personal egos… That is why we are not able to produce the kind of players we used to.
Drawing a parallel to hockey, which has failed to qualify for the Olympics and World Cups multiple times since 2010, Akmal said cricket too is surviving only due to corporate sponsorship.
Hockey is run by the government, cricket’s base is corporate; sponsorship is private, that is why it’s still surviving. But I think it has very little time on its hands.
‘One More Poor Tournament Won’t Matter’
Pakistan had begun the tournament with a 93-run win over Oman and are likely to beat UAE in their final group game to progress to the Super Four stage. But their lacklustre display against India has dented their confidence ahead of tougher contests.
If the team doesn’t perform in the Asia Cup, then I feel there can be a lot of problems. But then I also feel that if we haven’t played well in the last 10 tournaments, then it hardly matters if we perform poorly in one more.
India Through to Super Fours
India, meanwhile, confirmed their place in the Super Four with their second straight win, having earlier hammered UAE by nine wickets. With captain Suryakumar Yadav leading from the front, India’s campaign is shaping up in ominous fashion.
