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Why is Pakistani cricket such a mess?

Craig

World Traveller
There is in fights, sackings of coaches, captains, and players, and nobody is quite ready to tour Pakistan anytime soon, it's like a soap opera. Now before somebody comes in throws in the cliched 'they're corrupt, selfish with their own self interests at stake' posts, I know that, but surely there must be more to it then some douche who is taking some backhanders on the side and screwing everybody else over at the same time.

Or is that all there is too it? Or does it reflect Pakistani politics/culture where you don't get anywhere other then screwing over every person you have (I'm sorry if I'm talking **** here)?
 

Xuhaib

International Coach
There is in fights, sackings of coaches, captains, and players, and nobody is quite ready to tour Pakistan anytime soon, it's like a soap opera. Now before somebody comes in throws in the cliched 'they're corrupt, selfish with their own self interests at stake' posts, I know that, but surely there must be more to it then some douche who is taking some backhanders on the side and screwing everybody else over at the same time.

Or is that all there is too it? Or does it reflect Pakistani politics/culture where you don't get anywhere other then screwing over every person you have (I'm sorry if I'm talking **** here)?
The problem comes from the top.I know Imran and Miandad take a lot of credit for the golden period of Pakistan cricket which was the 80's and the 90's but a lot of credit should go to administrators like Nur Khan,Abdul Hafeez Kardar who made sure things remained stable at the administrative side and everyone within the system was aware of his responsibilities.

It is not a surprise that some of Pakistan's worst performances have come during the tenures of last two chairman's Naseem Ahsraf and Ijaz Butt as both are considered as probably the worst administrators to ever run PCB.I know one person should not dictate how the system is run but this is Pakistan where personalities are more important and they drive the institution rather then individuals becoming part of a working institution.

One factor that is often neglected by many and the recent times I have only heard Aamer Sohail talking about it its the school and university cricket which is dead now and most of the talent that is coming from is from smaller cities or the deprived localities of metroes.This I feel is the reason you see cricketers with P sized IQ and doing things which you would not associate with normal sportsman.I know education and exposure alone does not bring mature thinking but it certainly does play a role in ensuring consistent and rational behaviour.In the current setup only Salman Butt and Misbah ul Haq come from a affluent and educated background and its not a surprise that they have been one of the few players who have remained controversy free.

Then there is also a problem of nepotism and favoritism which is rampant from junior level right up to the senior team.Players like Imran Farhat and Faisal Iqbal get selected time and again because their uncles are part of the cricket board and no matter how ****ty there performance is they will always be part of the squad at the expense of more deserving cricketers.Ofcourse this problem also comes in the domain of bad management.

In a nutshell I say bad management of village mentallity cricketers had led to all this anarchy which you see on daily basis resulting in one big mess.
 

Faisal1985

International Vice-Captain
In addition to what Xuhaib has said (which i completely agree with), there is certainly an issue of illiteracy in Pakistan as well. To me it seems like that the culture of Pakistan has changed for the worst and cricket players, irrespective of how talented they are, are a direct reflection of that culture. This culture is full of people, who have next to no education and poverty and unemployment has led them to indulge in illegal activities, drugs, fraud etc. Ofcourse i hate to say these things about my beloved country but unless the problem is properly realized it won't be solved.

This is only cricket, you will not have to dig deep in Pakistan politics to see how messed up things are. We have a defense minister who is convicted of corruption by the SC i think, but since the president happens to come from the same political party he has waved off the punishment and the minister remains intact in his position. Nothing against PPP or any other political party but things like this exist. Same thing with the PML N or any other party, at least 70-80 percent of the parliamentarians of Pakistan are either accused or some how involved in corruption (perhaps an understatement). God knows how many have fake degrees like Dasti.

Overall, i say its a collective cultural problem that players/politicians etc. turn out this way. Morality and Ethics and desire of social service is far gone. Players in other countries when given a test cap label it as the best moment of their life or some where around there and in Pakistan players like Umar Akmal who (again irrespective how talented) fake an injury to not play, on top of that their elder brothers tell them to do that instead of stopping them from doing such stupidity.

Until the ruling elite is brought to some stiff checks and balances, Pakistani economy will continue to deteriorate further and unemployment will simply lead to the young generation of Pakistan to become more or less homeless crack heads. It is very sad to be honest...
 

SaeedAnwar

U19 Debutant
There is in fights, sackings of coaches, captains, and players, and nobody is quite ready to tour Pakistan anytime soon, it's like a soap opera. Now before somebody comes in throws in the cliched 'they're corrupt, selfish with their own self interests at stake' posts, I know that, but surely there must be more to it then some douche who is taking some backhanders on the side and screwing everybody else over at the same time.

Or is that all there is too it? Or does it reflect Pakistani politics/culture where you don't get anywhere other then screwing over every person you have (I'm sorry if I'm talking **** here)?
it reflects the general society,politics,culture etc...

A country like pakistan needs to be conqured by america or british again to make it a civilized country and society. I mean 20-30 years ago atleast we had some pride to be pakistanies, but i have totally lost that now.
 

Teja.

Global Moderator
it reflects the general society,politics,culture etc...

A country like pakistan needs to be conqured by america or british again to make it a civilized country and society. I mean 20-30 years ago atleast we had some pride to be pakistanies, but i have totally lost that now.
Are you honestly advocating that Pakistan should be 'conquered'(with all the implications of the word) by America/Britain for it's good?
 

NasserFan207

International Vice-Captain
I'd like to give my thoughts on the issue.

The reason for the infighting and backstabbing within Pakistani cricket is, for me, a reflexion of its status in the country itself. Cricket is by far the most popular sport, and subsequently, its harder to make the national team, and cricket becomes a bigger deal in general.

With cricket being a bigger deal, people are prepared to go to greater lengths to keep their place in the team, will create cliques, etc etc, as well as the obvious corruption. Instability in the country itself probably also plays a role.
 

SaeedAnwar

U19 Debutant
Are you honestly advocating that Pakistan should be 'conquered'(with all the implications of the word) by America/Britain for it's good?
Yes, because pakistanis are not capable of fixing themselves, unless the whole political system and the whole society changes magically by itself and i dont see that happening.
 
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Teja.

Global Moderator
Yes, because pakistanis are not capable of fixing themselves, unless the whole political system and the whole society changes magically by itself.
Providing seeking administrative support(If that is what you are intending to say) is very different from Conquering.

According to the Webster dictionary

1 : to gain or acquire by force of arms : subjugate <conquer territory>
2 : to overcome by force of arms : vanquish <conquered the enemy>
 

Matt79

Global Moderator
As with Zimbabwe, a failed, or failing, state doesn't produce a stable cricket team and infrastructure. It's a very minor symptom of what is a major tragedy for the people in those countries.
 

slippyslip

U19 12th Man
Better question is: Why, despite all the ridiculous antics of players and administrators, does cricket continue to be a popular sport in Pakistan?

Because it is a monopoly. Cricket is the most popular sport there by a massive margin. Pakistani cricket doesn't need competent administrators. The PCB is a guaranteed monopoly. There is no franchise that can be taken from them. There is no threat of relegation for bad performances.

Now I'm no free market fundamentalist. Far from it. But comparing PCB to an unproductive and inefficient monopoly is quite apt. Now compare the PCB to Cricket Australia and see the differences. But Australia has one of the most competitive, if not the most competitive, sports markets in the world. Cricket, Aussie Rules, Rugby Union, Rugby League, football, basketball and hockey. Our national teams are ranked in the top 20 for football, cricket, rugby, basketball and hockey AND the two most popular winter sports Rugby League and Aussie Rules are not even international sports (unless you count rugby league which has 3 competitive teams).

If Cricket Australia ran cricket in Australia like the PCB then the game would have died off. Sponsors would have dropped it. Free to air TV would have ditched it and at best it would have been tucked away on Pay TV.

Best thing to happen to Pakistani cricket would be for another sport to come along and rival it and force the administrators to put the best interest of the game ahead of their own interests. Competition does force companies, or in this case a governing body, to be more competent.
 

vic_orthdox

Global Moderator
I believe that hockey is reasonably popular in Pakistan, although not to the same level as cricket. But does it suffer from the same administrative faults that cricket does in Pakistan?
 

Xuhaib

International Coach
Better question is: Why, despite all the ridiculous antics of players and administrators, does cricket continue to be a popular sport in Pakistan?

Because it is a monopoly. Cricket is the most popular sport there by a massive margin. Pakistani cricket doesn't need competent administrators. The PCB is a guaranteed monopoly. There is no franchise that can be taken from them. There is no threat of relegation for bad performances.

Now I'm no free market fundamentalist. Far from it. But comparing PCB to an unproductive and inefficient monopoly is quite apt. Now compare the PCB to Cricket Australia and see the differences. But Australia has one of the most competitive, if not the most competitive, sports markets in the world. Cricket, Aussie Rules, Rugby Union, Rugby League, football, basketball and hockey. Our national teams are ranked in the top 20 for football, cricket, rugby, basketball and hockey AND the two most popular winter sports Rugby League and Aussie Rules are not even international sports (unless you count rugby league which has 3 competitive teams).

If Cricket Australia ran cricket in Australia like the PCB then the game would have died off. Sponsors would have dropped it. Free to air TV would have ditched it and at best it would have been tucked away on Pay TV.

Best thing to happen to Pakistani cricket would be for another sport to come along and rival it and force the administrators to put the best interest of the game ahead of their own interests. Competition does force companies, or in this case a governing body, to be more competent.
Good Post.

But if you see SLCB and BCCI are also quite similar to a monopoly but they don't have as much problems as PCB has.At the moment PCB is functioning like a badly managed state owned enterprise and its performance is directly related to the guy who is running it at the very top.Ofcourse since in most of the cases the guy at the top is appointed through his connections with the government so there is a greater chance that he will be incompetent then competent
 

Xuhaib

International Coach
it reflects the general society,politics,culture etc...

A country like pakistan needs to be conqured by america or british again to make it a civilized country and society. I mean 20-30 years ago atleast we had some pride to be pakistanies, but i have totally lost that now.
ha...what rubbish.
 

sirdj

State Vice-Captain
A country like pakistan needs to be conqured by america or british again to make it a civilized country and society
Its precisely this sort of feeling/opinion within Pakistan that makes you susceptible to dictators and regimes.
No-one is going to 'solve' your problems for you. Its the tough path that pakistanis will have walk themselves. Why would you want someone else's version of Pakistan?
 

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