THIS is with reference to the situationer “Why Pakistan cricket is ‘hobbling at the crease’” (Oct 3). Pakistan cricket has surely seen rough times over the years. But it has never been as dark as it is today. It is not just the losses on the field in recent times, it is the manner of these losses that is worrying. As it appears, the players have completely lost confidence, and there is no sense of self-respect that could have come to their rescue.

There was a time in the past when alongside cricket there were also top-class players in various fields, like hockey and squash, from Pakistan. But now hockey and squash are all but dead in the country. Nobody talks about these sports anymore. Cricket in Pakistan seems to have taken a fancy to the unfortunate path to doom.

The players no more play as a team. Even worse is the fact that they do not seem to be playing for themselves either because they do not focus on their own fitness and performance levels. It is fair to say that the current players are only commercial heroes as they always look absolutely fit in advertisements. They are no longer cricket heroes.

As for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), it is itself an unprofessional outfit devoid of any understanding about how the game and its management function in the modern world. There is every reason to start afresh, with a new setup in place focussing on a fresh pool of players. Come to think of it, how much more wrong things can go from here? We have already been whitewashed by Bangladesh on our own home turf. Unlike the current lot, the young players will at least put up a fight.

Asim Alvi
Lahore

Published in Dawn, October 13th, 2024