Cricket World Cup 2023 almost over for Pakistan, but is Pakistan prepared for Australia tour?

Lack of strategic management

Right now, while I am writing these lines, it has been 24 hours since Pakistan lost its humiliating lost against Afghanistan, but as I am listening to Indian TV channel, I have to agree with their points, because yesterday I especially watched initial overs of Afghanistan's innings, but the intent I was expecting off Pakistan team, was nowhere to be seen, 

Too gullible

This is another low, where Pakistani players have looked too gullible, because unlike 1999 Asian Test Championship where Shoaib Akhtar marked an entry into International Cricket just before ICC Cricket World Cup 1999 where Pakistan Cricket Team was actually finalist, and were dominating force during the whole span of Cricket World Cup, before disseminating to Australia in the final.

But the fact is, unlike previous ICC events, this time round, Pakistan Cricket Team didn't impress me with their aggression, I am not saying doing گالم گلوچ or otherwise do something on the scale of Afghani players do with Pakistani players, but I am talking about Pakistani aggression and intent which WE ARE USED TO and I personally have been of that generation, who grow up while watching Muhammad Zahid's, Shoaib Akhtar's Muhammad Amir, Abdul Razzaq etc.

Lack of competitive aggression from Pakistan

There was a time, although till date, Pakistan didn't win a particular test match series down-under, but even then, Pakistan used to compete Australians to that extend, where if I recall my memory, one comes into my mind when Abdul Razzaq hit Glenn McGrath for five continuous fours on the trot, and secondly the famous Sydney test, where Pakistan lost that particular game from the brink of a win, again I must confess, Pakistan's record down-under is not worth mentioning, but at least Pakistan won't as pathetic as they were yesterday, I am going to end this header from a famous quote from Mohsin Khan, that "Play for the country, don't play with the country" and hence, yesterday was the day when friendship was prioritized over the country, and even agenda-journalists are equally responsible for the same.

PCB not doing sincerity to Pakistan as a brand

PCB also known as Pakistan Cricket Board, doesn't take responsibility in taking ownership for its players, because as mentioned by Moin Khan during his analysis on Pakistani fielding efforts, his exact terms were "they looked lethargic", and he supported his argument by mentioning exposing your weaknesses to the world, by playing the same lot of players even against with the likes of Nepal (no disrespect to them), but I also have to accept, that while playing against such teams, we usually test our bench strength, but instead it was a final nail on the coffin where I actually saw Naseem Shah showing off signs of proper subtle injury which he was carrying from long, 

Although, one might say, Babar Azam is to be blamed, but honestly speaking, isn't it equally responsibility of the PCB as institution to take responsibility for its players; who are supposed to be assets/inventory for PCB, such pathetic way PCB misused its own inventory?

BCCI might be in competition with PCB, but just see how BCCI took ownership of its players, and saved Shami for the best, for its ace game against the Kiwis, and in contrast, how we misused Naseem Shah, abusing Shaheen and shattered the confidence for Haris Rauf, not everybody could be as stubborn character like Shoaib Akhtar, is it possible Haris Rauf's confidence be returning any time soon? Why couldn't even IF BABAR AZAM was SUPPOSEDLY "IF" (a big if) was insisting on his friends, where was the authority power of PCB? 

Who is back up lineup from current lot of cricketers who're representing the country right now? As per Indian Media, Saim Ayub and Azam Khan were two names I heard, but how much international cricket playing exposure did he got? He was not even made part of Asian games, which was recently completed, so how come we be sure without exposure of international challenges, how could we be assured, he is well suited for achieving Pakistan's motives? 

Furthermore, selecting Pakistan's ODI team on the basis of PSL and T20I experiences, is something which is baffling me, because just like right now I am watching South Africa and Bangladesh game, where Bangladesh definitely lost the game, but in pursuit of NRR strike, Mahmudullah is still holding the fort for Bangladesh because Bangladesh is still looking less amount of degradation into NRR scale, because they are chasing a target of 383 whereas right now Bangladesh is 222/8 in 45 overs, so teams have been playing with multiple aspects, which were aligned with their cricket boards, but instead here in case of Pakistan and Pakistan Cricket Board, they have not aligned their motives with country comes first aspect.

Political influence over PCB

When it comes to PCB and change in regime in Pakistan dated April 2022, I have seen three chairmen for PCB, during the time of regime change, it was Ramiz Raja, afterwards it was Najam Sethi, and currently it is Zaka Ashraf, who have only political will, no cricketing interests, for which Pakistan Cricket is degrading for sure.

Selfish cricket from Pakistan Cricket Team

While analyzing yesterday's game, lack of intent, unlike Bangladesh, who reduced the deficit to 149 runs which is the margin South Africa have won this match, but Bangladesh needs to be appreciated for playing with minds.

Taking back aspect from Indian game, where Kiwis counter threat of Yadav, they counter-attack him, such kind of intent was not shown by Pakistan, 

Hungry for Rankings

Ranking have been main point of contention when it comes to Pakistan, although I am not gonna start discussion how Pakistan earned number 1 position, but right now New Zealand is one of the top team of this cricket world cup, but how many Kiwi players are in the rankings, but on the contrary their country is on the high, which is not the case for Pakistan.

Country comes first over nepotism and friendship.

This is something I have to take account, because while I have been mentioning "inferiority complex" where everybody is in complex of being replaced, this is something we should be ashamed because we lag collaboration aspect, we are in complex of being replaced, 

Reputation of Pakistan spoilt because of this friendship saga

How Indians and foreign media have been making fun of Pakistan, which is something made me taking a break from social media, because I have been a supporter for Pakistan Cricket, but on the contrary, now they have dissipated just because they facilitated friendships over Pakistan Cricket, which is a shame, because now is not the case of downgrading me, as it is not about me, but it is about the country-comes-first approach, کیا ہم نے اس اپروچ کے ساتھ کھلواڑ نہیں کیا ہے؟؟؟ 

Social media behavior

Behavior of Pakistani social media "roasters" have been pathetic, because while you're having a mass medium like social media, but you have been running agenda-based coverage, instead of taking responsibility for representing the country, have the represented the country which is beneficial to the country? We are yet to require accountability for who is to represent the country and who is not?

Social media have been acting as "Pablo Escobar" for Pakistan Cricket, because they are acting as attention-seeking-personality, as Wasim Akram clearly said "نام بن جائے گا", while he was irate watching trends on Twitter trends.

Pakistan would be playing against Australia in their own backyards, is Pakistan GOING TO COMPETE Australia in Australia?

Looking on to the future, Pakistan is going to Australia, where the first test match is going to be played at Optus stadium, Perth, are we able to cope the challenge there? With these bowling figure, how can or how could be cope that particular challenge? Have we enough prepared for the same?

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Action justified clearly

Pakistan Cricket Board should take strict but sensible decisions on management as-well

Some might say Intikhab Alam have been rough and rude to current Pakistani players, but I think it clearly justifies when you can't perform on the field and off the field aswell, everyone was looking in a hurry and wanted to show himself superior on the tour.

That's not only me saying but everyone who closely followed Pakistan's tour of Australia, even in a TV clip I heard Mohammad Yousuf saying that Ricky Ponting said to him that his troops are not marshaling along him. On the other hand, Shoaib Malik was heard saying that it was not because of him that Pakistan lost but it was because of the defensive approach MoYo adopted, which resulted in disastrous tour down-under. I just want to ask one question, that ok MoYo was defensive, and one must admit that, but that wasn't ONLY the reason behind such performance? Dropping of catches, mis-fielding, bowling not upto the mark, is skipper literally responsible for such individual acts of other players, I don't think so!

Although I am not a great fan of MoYo's captaincy capabilities but one must agree with it too that boys played their own parts in accomplishment of such results, and it would be unfair to singly point out MoYo for the result. We should also be ashamed that they used Holy Quran, just to take oath that they'll not allow Younus Khan to captain them along post ODI series in Dubai and Abu Dhabi against Kiwis, (after that tour we had to tour down-under to New Zealand).

I agree somewhat with what Aamir Sohail mentioned just at the time current PCB management were thinking of changing Shoaib Malik with Younus Khan, he clearly mentioned that if such exercise would be implemented it would send clear message to the players that do whatever you want, and it could have disastrous results in return, but this suggestion wasn't listen and now when Australia have 4 skippers replaced in 20 odd years, we had 3 skippers in span of 12 months. So like I was saying earlier that Intikhab Alam was right in his words, I think what I have drawn light on clearly justifies that although there was problem with players too, no one is denying this but this is also a fact that effective management was needed and the responsibility of effective manager is that of a preventer, (the person who prevents worst things to happen), players' problem I admit prevails in Pakistan cricket but it could have been prevented, instead of being now wobbling for.

A termite indeed

PCB must look options other than Shoaib Malik himself

As some analysts clearly mentioned Shoaib Malik, that he's a termite and is responsible for disunity in the team, I don't know why he's persist with, we all know he already had confessed on the National TV (PTV) that he had fixed a domestic match playing for Sialkot region, still there have been support FOR him, I think people running Pakistan Cricket Board are nuts.

When he could fix a Pakistan's domestic tournament match, so how can you be so sure that he would not do the same in the broader arena? If he's a team-man so why he opted to sit out on a green top against Kiwis, pre-Aussie tour- no answer!

He also knows that he's invincible and no backup program or plan is underway that's why he's using his powers, else like some analysts said in a newspaper article regarding his family background and history and than his expenditures in his Valima, I don't wanna go that far because that's his own life but yeah wanna raise this issue that at the time of his birth, his father had to take loan for further expenditures, so how was he able to generate so much amount that even by born billionaires can't even think of! Plus he has been more pro-Indian (I am not biased), like he's always willing to goto India or play in India, I know it's a big market but country comes first, he was the first person to show disappointment when Pakistani Government didn't allow any of the Pakistani players to participate in IPL2 which was later staged in South Africa in 2009.

The only reason to tackle such things is that we should make a system and backup plans so that if one player is created, 3 players are behind him and while 3 are behind further 3 should be under process at NCA where instead of utilizing it for cricketing activities is being used for appellate tribunal hearings and fact findings for disastrous tour of Australia. Is that the purpose we built NCA?

As far as Mr. Malik is concern, PCB should show its power regarding his own place in the team, he might be an spectacular make-shift player but he's not above the law (read Andrew Symonds), he was a good player but was not above the game according to Cricket Australia and they punished him because he didn't attend the practice session when Bangladesh toured Australia but instead was found fishing although he was told by CA. Can't we take something similar like that! What PCB has taken decision regarding Malik, they should had to take that decision quite earlier when he refused to return when he was asked! Taking tough decisions after the concluded tour is nothing important but brings more disgrace.

Don't know but its my gutsy feeling that by the time they would leave the seats, the interest level of this game in Pakistan I believe would deteriorate for sure, the way everyone in the PCB is exploiting their own seats and status, without any check and balance.