Famous Italian painter Leonardo DaVinci – also a man of various connections in other fields – once said: “Realize that everything connects to everything else.”
We must realize that everything in a system is connected and no one thing can change by itself. You need to connect everything to overhaul a system. Even in life, you need to experience all the connections to get traction.
Running cricket in a country also needs proper connections. From those who administer the game to those who oversee it to those who are playing, all need to be properly connected to produce better results. If everything goes well you get the final connection: fans. If connections are loose then your system is not run on proper lines and fans are not attracted.
Pakistan cricket is suffering from a lack of connection. The lack of connection has eviscerated the key element: success. Many people, including former greats, had a sense of foreboding this downfall. The results in the last two years — despite successes at the T20I level — had alluded to some key problems. But changes in the cricket board had impeded finding a proper solution. After the failure in the ODI World Cup in India, the ever-misfit chairman at the PCB Zaka Ashraf hurt the unity of the team by replacing Babar Azam with Shaheen Shah Afridi as white-ball captain and Shan Masood as red-ball skipper. That created a discord. It was furthered when Mohsin Naqvi shook the arrangement by bringing Babar back as leader.
Pakistan not only performed abysmally, losing for the first time to Ireland in a T20I, lost the series to England — not that it was unexpected — and then crashed out of the World Cup with shameful defeats against newcomers the United States but also lost to India in an abject surrender. Bangladesh put more scorn with a first-ever Test win and then doubled it with a 2-0 series win.
Pakistan’s cricket was at its lowest. Such low points had come to all international teams in the past. A tearful Kim Hughes left Australian captaincy after losing 13 of the 28 Tests he led his country. The West Indies — twice world champions of ODIs — failed to qualify for the 2023 mega event. England suffered the same nadir after the 2015 ODI World Cup, crashing out in the first round. All these teams staged remarkable progress from a state of no-hope.
Talk of England, they staged a remarkable turnaround within a month. They replaced an expandable head coach Peter Moores and kept faith in captain Eoin Morgan. Results were astonishing. Out of 23 totals of 350 plus England have piled up, only two came before the revamp! They won two major ICC white-ball events after that progression, the 2019 ODI and 2022 Twenty20 mega event.
In fact, the Pakistan Cricket Board explicitly mentioned they are targeting the England example while conducting the CONNECTION camp. “What brand of cricket we want to play,” was the topic of the debate. The main deliberation was done on how to improve, lift and control Pakistan cricket to get the best results — on and off the field. A candid discussion is always beneficial. It was candidly found out that there was a lack of unity. “There was a lack of unity in the team,” this was the most appreciative admission came from PCB Chief Operating Officer Salman Naseer. Conversely, what action did the PCB take on the lack of unity? Is this only an admission or PCB is eager to earnestly take action on this dischord, that will remain to be seen.
If reports are to be believed, Gary Kirsten also pointed out the “lack of unity” in the team in his report after the June World Cup. There were reports of misconduct by some players but without proper “tools” the much-awaited surgery proclaimed by the PCB chairman was not done. That showed the lack of connection as well.
One lack of connection is the tapping of talent. Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten averred the presence of big talent in the country. “I’ve been here the last 12 days or so watching the Champions Cup and have been really encouraged at the depth of quality of players in this tournament,” Kirsten said. “It’s been fantastic to see. I’ve really enjoyed the tournament. The quality of the competition has been high. It was great to see a lot of young players showcasing what they are capable of.”
But sadly this talent remains untapped. It highlights the lack of connection between coaches and the National Cricket Academy (NCA). Once the talent is spotted, the next stage is burnishing it at the NCA. That connection is not missing but there is a lack of finishing. Either the talent gets derailed with the fault or lack of diligence of the player or due to fault of the coaches.
“Everyone is feeling that the performances of players, and management, can be better. The idea was to sit together, identify issues and what can be better. What is our vision and how do we get there?” said Naseer.
Gillespie’s comments rounded off the deliberations in a wise manner. “Because we’re new to the job, our job is to listen and learn and look to implement ways where we can be more effective as players, as a team, and as coaches. What was really clear today was the pride the Pakistan players have in playing for Pakistan and how they want to inspire the country. That was really exciting to hear. The players care and are desperate to do well. We’re on this journey together and we’ll do everything we can to help.”
Pakistan cricket not only needs deliberations but also action. As the saying goes, “Don’t show us the plans, show us the results.” Pakistan cricket needs sincere and efficient work. That is the only way to go forward and compete.
