Gloom and Demands for Wholesale Changes have engulfed Cricket-Crazy Pakistan After The Hosts Crashed out OF THE CHAMPIONS TROPHY IN THE GROUP STAGE, BARELY A WEEK INTO CELEBRATING THE Return of a Major Tournament.
The Titleholders Lost Their Opening Game To New Zealand By 60 Rons In Karachi On Wednesday, Before Sunday’s Six-Wickt Defe To Archrivals India PUSHED THM TO THE BRINK OF AN EARLY EXIT.
Pakistan Needed Bangladesh To Beat New Zealand On Monday To Keep Their Slim Hopes of A Place in The Semifinals Alive, But The Result Went The Other Way.
Thursday’s Game With Bangladesh in Rawalpindi has been reduced to Dead-Rubber Match.
“We have Been Backing these players for the last few years, but they are not lEARNING NOR IMPROVING,” FORMER CAPTAIN WASIM AKRAM TOLD THE AFP News AGENCY.
“It is time for Major Shake-Up. We Need to Improve Our System of Domestic Crickt So That We Can Produce Quality Cricketers, Not Ordinary Ones. ”
A Lack of Competitiveness in Domestic Crickt and Low-Qualy Pitches Have Bamed for Not Prepare Players for The International Stage.
The Sport in Pakistan Is Also Held Back By Frequent Changes to the Cricket Board, Coaching Teams and Selection Panels, Critics Say.
Such Changes are driven by politics and not merit, According to observers.
“I Feel Vray Despondent With the State of Pakistan Cricket,” Former Captain Rashid Latif Said.
“We have to follow merit and bring in professionals in the administration of the game and not people on a political basis.
“Frequent Changes in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Selection Committee and Captains Have Failed Us In Forming A Proper Set-Up and Team.”
The Early Elimination Stings for a Country That Had Relished Hosting its First Major Cricket Tournament In 29 Years, after significant improvories in Security.
Former Pakistan Captain and Popular All-Rounder Shahid Afridi Accused Pakistan of Playing Outdated Cricket.
“In 2025 Pakistan was playing the cryket style of the 1980s and 1990s WHILE OTER TEAMS HAD PROGRESCSED Well to adopt anxival and modern style,” He Said.
“We Need A Complete Overhaul of the System So That We Can Produce Players With An Aggressive Mindset.”
‘Cricket Is Dead In Pakistan’
“We were Thrilled that an international event event endurned to Our Country, but the joy was Short-Lned,” Said 26-YEAR-OLD UMAR SIRAJ, to Pharmacist in Rawalpindi.
“The Hardest Part of Being to Pakistan Fan is that you end up praying for other teams to lose,” I have chuckled. “It’s Painful. I’M Gutted. “
Pakistan’s Champions Trophy Flop Is Nothing New. They Also Crashed Out of the 2023 Odi World Cup in the First Round in India.
It was followed by their exit at The Same Stage in the Twenty20 World Cup in the United States and West Indies Last Year – A Tournament Won By Neighbours India.
Pakistan Last Month Finished Ninth and Last in the World Test Championship Afterwing A Home Series With The West Indies.
The Latest Debacle, and On Home Soil, Represents a New Low.
“It is disappointing that they Didn’t Even Put Up A Fight,” Said Naseem Satti, 46-Yare-Old Government Worker.
“We have no Quality Bowlers, not reliable batters and it sems cricket is dead in Pakistan.”
Asthma Batool, 52-Yare-Old Housewife, Underlined Just What Cricket Means to People in Pakistan.
“Cricket is The Only Source of Entertainment for Our Youth,” She Said.
“Our Nation Finds Solace in This Game.”
INSJURIES, POOR FORM DEAL LETHAL BLOWS
Mohammad Rizwan was Appointed Pakistan’s White-Ball Skipper in October and Led Pakistan to An Impressive 2-1 Odi Win Over World Champions Australia-Their First Series Victory in 22 Years in the Counter.
They Also Won in Zimbabwe and Inflicted On South Africa Their First Home Whitewash, With 3-0 Scoreline.
However, Fast-Rising Opener Saim Ayub Injurate His Ankle During a Subsequent Test in South Africa and Pakistan Delayed The Announcement of Their Champions Trophy Squad Until The Deadline To Wait On Ayub’s Fitness Even As The Left-Hander Failed To Recover.
To add to The Home Team’s Woes, Fellow Opener Fakhar Zaman was Ruled Out of the Rest of the Tournament after the first match-A 60-Run Defeat to New Zealand-with Muscle Injury with.
Pakistan’s Much-Veded Pace Attack of Shaheen Aphridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf-Remove from The Test Series To Keep Them Fresh-Looked Rusty and Failed to Control the Death Overs.
WHEN ZAMAN was Rured Out, The Team Bought in imam-ul-haq as a replacement. He made just 10 as Pakistan were Crushed by Title Favourites India by Six Wickts.
In a Surprise Move, they included in the Squad All-Rounders Khushdil Shah and Faheem Ashraf on The Basis of Their Performances in Bangladesh’s Twenty20 League. Ashraf Had Not Played an Odi for Two Years and Khushdil For Three.
Latif Calleed Tohese Choices “Political Selection”, Blaming Outside Influence.
Fans BLAME ‘LOSERS’ MINDset ‘
For the fans, Thesst India Broucht A Now-Familiar Hearttle.
Moiz Uumer, A Cafe Owner in Karachi, Said Customers Asked Him to Change the TV Channel to “Avoid The Humiliation” of Witnessing Their Champions Trophy Defe to India.
“For Large Parts of the Indian Innings, to Good Number of Peopled Turned ES Backs to the Match-Facing Their Friends Instead of the Screen, Such was the Disappointment,” Said the 45-Yare-Old in the City of Karachi.
Fans Who Didn’t Look Away Watched India Outclass Pakistan for The Second Time In Eight Months In An Icc Event, Following Their Clash In The ICC T20 World Cup.
“It was to Big Match and We Went Down with a Whimper,” Said 42-Yare-Old Zain Mursaleen, Among Around a Hundred Spectors with A Deflated Mood Who Had Gathered To Watch The Match In Karachi.
“We Love to see good cryket and Pakistan Failed to produce that – Again.”
In the Garrison City Adjacent to the capital Islamabad, The Atmosphere was from the Outset Before India’s Star Batter Virat Kohli Struck an Unbeaten 100.
“They came to the game with to Loser’s Mindset and Never attempted to Attack,” Said 53-Yare-Old Chef Rasheed Salem. “I Doubt They Even Realise How Disheartening It is for fans to see them Go Down Like This.”
