A Pakistan without Babar and Rizwan

It is early morning, I have just finished having Sehri. Pakistan is playing cricket in New Zealand. Batting first a typical collapse has started, nothing new for a Pakistani cricket fan. However, looking at the batting line up, my confidence is at its dimmest. For perhaps the first time in 40 years, television was turned off and I went back to sleep, unable to bear watching further.

Later, I discovered Pakistan had been dismissed for a mere 91 runs, playing at a little over 4 runs an over. While New Zealand effortlessly chased the target, scoring nearly ten runs per over, losing just one wicket.

Pakistan cricket has always been a factory of raw, unpolished talent. From the streets of Karachi to the mountains of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, cricket runs in the veins of the nation. Yet, despite a big talent pool, Pakistan continually falters internationally.

The reason? A system designed not to groom talent, but to destroy it.

The PCB has become synonymous with chaos and instability. Coaches change frequently, chairmen come and go based on political affiliations rather than cricketing expertise, and players are discarded at will. This revolving door of leadership has led to a culture of insecurity among players, preventing them from developing into world-class athletes.

Let’s look at the summary of ICC Awards of current Pakistan cricketers.

Babar Azam: Multiple ODI Cricketer of the Year awards, T20I Cricketer of the Year, the ultimate Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy (only Pakistani ever to have won this). ODI Team of the Year four times and T20 team of the year multiple times. Test Team of the year. He is by far the most decorated Pakistani cricketer at the ICC awards ever.

Mohammad Rizwan: T20I Cricketer of the Year and T20I Team of the Year

Shaheen Afridi: Cricketer of the Year, Test Team of the Year, T20I Team of the Year

Hasan Ali: Emerging Cricketer of the Year, ODI Team of the Year

Fakhar Zaman: ODI Team of the Year

Shadab Khan: T20I Team of the Year

Imad Wasim: T20I Team of the Year

Despite their proven capabilities and the promise they held for Pakistan’s cricketing future, it’s astonishing that what should have been the peak of their careers, none of these players currently enjoys a permanent place or genuine security within the national team’s setup. Instead of being groomed into confident, assured players, athletes consistently face uncertainty about their roles, even amidst discussions around their potential to captain the side. This lack of stability and foresight not only undermines their confidence but also vividly illustrates the troubling state of Pakistan cricket.

Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan’s best wicketkeeper-batsman and one of the finest in the world, has been a cornerstone of the team’s batting lineup in the last few years.

He is in super form with the bat and his consistency and reliability behind the stumps makes him indispensable to any team. Yet, inexplicably, PCB dropped him from the national squad, clearly masking their own administrative failures.

Babar Azam, specifically, has faced significant criticism, often accusing him of not being a “match-winner,” yet he holds an impressive 23 international Man of the Match awards across all formats. If a man of the match award does not signify a match winning performance, what does?

Interestingly, Javed Miandad, widely celebrated as one of Pakistan’s greatest-ever match-winners, also accumulated exactly 23 such awards, albeit in more games played than Babar. Negative public perception frequently overpowers objective reality and statistical evidence in Pakistan.

Babar has indeed gone through a difficult patch in the last year or so, experiencing technical issues such as challenges in facing spin bowling, low strike rate, maybe problematic footwork? Who knows? Such difficulties are common even among the greatest players—Alastair Cook, Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar amongst countless others also experienced similar downturns.

These players, however, had consistent coaching support from their national teams to address and rectify such issues. And they came back stronger than ever

Who can Babar Azam turn to for support, considering how frequently PCB changes coaches and selectors? Is it Babar Azam’s fault that he lacks stable guidance from the national coaching setup? Who does he speak to about his technical batting complications? Perhaps, his father. Who is to blame for this?

The Pakistani public also significantly contributes to deteriorating player morale. Fans rapidly elevate young players to legendary status after a few outstanding performances, comparing them to greats like Virat Kohli, or Wasim Akram. However, as soon as these players face even minor setbacks, they quickly turn from heroes into villains, facing intense criticism and negativity.

Some people call Babar and Rizwan the best things in Pakistan cricket and others accuse them of being the biggest problem in the country. Star performers like Misbah-ul-Haq, and Shahid Afridi have previously experienced this duality, where public opinion swings wildly between hero-worship and severe criticism or hate speech. The lack of respect for national heroes and a balanced, objective perspective deeply impacts player confidence and emotional well-being.

PCB’s neglect extends to medical and rehabilitation support. Promising fast bowlers like Ihsanullah have seen their careers compromised due to inadequate injury management. Shaheen Shah Afridi, had to privately fund his treatment due to PCB’s failure to provide appropriate medical support.

Naseem Shah also returned from injury without proper rehabilitation, gaining weight and losing fitness, highlighting the absence of professional nutritionists and trainers at PCB.

Mohammad Hasnain provides an example of how proper management can transform a player’s career. Hasnain sought private professional guidance and made a remarkable comeback, underscoring the critical necessity of structured management and support—something the PCB has failed to provide consistently. See how proper management transformed Mohammad Hasnain’s career.

PCB’s poor financial management further exacerbates the problem. Millions of dollars have been spent by the current administration on hastily constructed stadiums lacking proper drainage and infrastructure, rather than investing in the players directly. The National Cricket Academy in Lahore, a cornerstone of player development, now lacks essential professional staff, including coaches, trainers, and medical personnel, due to administrative negligence and corruption.

While PCB always had its shortcomings, this current leadership has emptied out the treasury like nobody before it. It is a top heavy, ad hoc joke that is not funny anymore.

Where modern sports teams rely heavily on data analysis for all things related to cricket, PCB’s reliance on data can only be described as ancient.

The PCB’s management of player participation in international leagues further illustrates its inefficiency. Pakistani cricketers contractually can play two international leagues annually. Players like Shaheen Afridi (Trent Rockets), Mohammad Rizwan (Southern Brave), and Shadab Khan (Trent Rockets) were picked in The Hundred two seasons ago, and franchises had structured their teams around these players.

However, the PCB abruptly denied No Objection Certificates (NOCs) at the last minute, causing significant frustration, damaging international trust, and leading to franchises avoiding Pakistani players altogether.

Forty-five Pakistani cricketers registered their names for The Hundred, in 2025. The result? Not a single one was selected. This shocking outcome marks perhaps the lowest point in the proud history of Pakistani cricket. The rejection is not just due to a lack of form or talent but also because international franchises no longer trust the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to handle players professionally.

Pakistan should take heed from West Indies cricket, where prominent players like Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Evin Lewis, Sheldon Cottrell, Fabian Allen, Shimron Hetmyer, and Oshane Thomas prefer franchise leagues over national duties. Mismanagement by Cricket West Indies (CWI), including contract disputes and poor player welfare, pushed these players towards more lucrative and professionally stable leagues worldwide.

If PCB continues on this destructive path, Pakistani players may also prefer league cricket, weakening the national side, similar to the West Indies’ current struggles. Muhammad Amir and Imad Wasim have long retired from national duties. And now Azam Khan, Haris Rauf and Fakhar Zaman are extremely disgruntled with lack of contracts, or NOCs from the board. These are dangerous signs.

In today’s cricketing landscape, raw talent alone is no longer enough to secure victories. Success demands rigorous fitness programs, data analytics, professional nutrition plans, structured rehabilitation protocols, competent coaching staff, and stable, consistent administration.

Modern cricket relies heavily on professional infrastructure and support systems. Until the PCB adopts holistic player development, responsible investment, and balanced fan engagement, Pakistan cricket will continue to decline. With, or without Babar and Rizwan.