Former captain of the England cricket team Nasser Hussain has highlighted the issues plaguing the Pakistan cricket team and what’s keeping it from achieving its goals.
The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out the issues that go beyond the playing field and into corporate structures. He said,
I am amazed how well Pakistan do with everything that goes on behind the scenes. The constant changes – I don’t know of any other business or sporting environment where if you don’t have consistency behind the scenes how do you expect your team to be consistent on the field.
Hussain got to experience the chaos that surrounds Pakistan cricket and the cricketing board during England’s recent series against Pakistan. While sitting in pre-match discussions for a broadcaster, Nasser and Michael Atherton would regularly question the myriad of constant changes in the selection panel, the coaching hiring, and firings, and the revolving door that is the chairmanship of the PCB.
While Pakistan’s cricket team managed to flourish on the international stage amid the chaos in previous years, the recent results indicate that all may not be well.
The removal of Shaheen Afridi as captain after just one series, the unprecedented losses to the USA in the T20 World Cup and the Test series to Bangladesh at home, and the sudden dropping of Babar, Shaheen, and Naseem from the England series all indicate that the players have been rattled by recent developments.
The dismissal of Gary Kirsten perfectly encapsulates the issues surrounding PCB which are being pointed at by Nasser Hussain but if the most recent game against Australia is any indication, things may be on the up once again for Pakistan cricket.