Celebrating Mediocrity: How a Broken System & AI Excuses Mirror Pakistan Cricket and Karachi Society
If you are reading these lines, your first instinct might be to judge the writer—to ask, “یہ خود کیا ہے!” (Who is he to speak?).
That reaction right there is precisely where our problem begins.
As a society, we feel immense pride in calling ourselves Muslims, yet we routinely ignore one of Islamic ethics' core teachings: judge yourself before you judge others. Instead of self-reflection, we judge everyone else through the narrow lens of "What I think is right."
This article might be appearing on a cricket blog, but to understand the mess inside Pakistan Cricket, one must first understand the complex, microcosm-like reality of Karachi society—a melting pot representing the entirety of Pakistan.1. The Generational Gap: Elders, Seniors, and the "Qabila System"
Across our workplaces, institutions, and cricket boards, elders and seniors fail to take responsibility for the societal mess handed down to Millennials and Gen-Z. Instead of mentoring the younger generation, there is a constant effort to "tame" them into passive submission.
At my own workplace, I recently experienced this firsthand. A senior publicly scolded me in front of the entire floor, acting as if basic human dignity and fundamental workplace principles (like Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs) didn’t apply to him. He is the classic product of an environment built on overconfidence and a lack of respect for introverted individuals who simply want to do their work without joining political cliques.
The goal? To force you into a "Yes Boss!" mindset and mold you into their rigid Qabila (tribal) system.
Look closely at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and team selection—it is the exact same dynamic. Merit and individual dignity are sidelined to enforce loyalty to cliques, while seniors hide behind their authority rather than taking genuine accountability.
2. Core Pillars of Reform (Or What We’re Missing)
If Pakistan Cricket—and broader Pakistani society—is to escape this cycle of mediocrity, we must demand five key values:- Transparency & Meritocracy
- Consistency & Continuity
- Clarity of Approach
- Country Above All
- Self-Accountability & Intellectual Honesty
3. Transparency & Meritocracy: A Spoiled Culture
Spoiling the system has become our second nature. We constantly misuse any leniency given to us.
Take Karachi’s roads, for example: housing developers construct hazardous, improper cuts directly onto main roads just to market a plot as "near the main road." We accept these compromises daily.
4. Consistency & Continuity: The Gulshan-e-Iqbal Paradox
There is zero structural continuity in our approach.
Consider the roads in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Block-1 heading towards Moti Mehal: a road is laid down today, and next week a utility company (like SSGC) digs it up because someone forgot about pending pipework. The entire city suffers from this lack of planning.
We see this same pattern in our daily choices. Consider the traffic bottleneck in front of the Tijarah Building—Google Maps is almost always yellow or red there. Applying basic time management principles (like Henri Fayol’s), taking an alternative route via Shaheed-e-Millat toward Eid Gah and MA Ayesha Centre takes only 4 extra minutes. Yet people routinely drive down the wrong side of the road just to save those 4 minutes.
We choose shortcuts, break rules, and celebrate bad precedence. In Pakistan Cricket, this manifests as constantly shuffling captains, changing selectors every few months, and expecting long-term success without providing continuous support or clear vision.
5. Clarity: Knowing Your Goal
In recent sports broadcasts, analysts like Muhammad Furqan Bhatti frequently highlight the lack of clarity of approach and focus in Pakistan Cricket.
Whether on the pitch or within our households, we lack clear strategic objectives. Without clarity, self-accountability becomes impossible, and teams operate on guesswork rather than structured planning.
6. Country First, Always
Personal egos, player validation, and board politics continuously take precedence over the national crest. Until the motto truly becomes "Country Above Self," Pakistani sports will remain trapped in self-interest.
7. Hiding Behind "AI" and Spiritual Excuses
As a nation and a cricketing entity, we excel at hiding behind excuses—whether it's pointing fingers at modern tech/AI selection models or misinterpreting faith to avoid hard work.
A personal story illustrates this mindset: when I suffered a severe injury to my ribcage, I was initially advised, "یہ دعا پڑھ لو سب صحیح ہوجائے گا" (Recite this prayer and everything will be fine). It wasn't until an X-ray was taken that the real physical damage was revealed.
With all due respect to faith and prayer—which provide essential spiritual strength and motivation—did we actually work the problem?
Prayers complement effort; they do not replace action. When selectors, management, or citizens rely on spiritual or technological scapegoats instead of doing the actual groundwork, mediocrity is guaranteed. It is precisely this unaccountable mindset that drives talented Millennials and Gen-Z to leave the country in search of environments that value actual merit.
Conclusion: The Tri-Nation Series Exposure
The recent Tri-Nation series has laid bare an uncomfortable truth: the Pakistan Cricket Team is merely a reflection of Pakistani society—mediocre.Until we address the toxic control dynamics, reject shortcut culture, uphold intellectual honesty, and demand real self-accountability from top to bottom, we will continue celebrating mediocrity while wondering why we fall behind the rest of the world.