Pained by the steep decline in fortunes of Pakistan cricket, our esteemed member @Mamoon pinpoints the main flaws with our strategy and suggests a way out of the current malaise afflicting our game.

In 2016-2017, in the space of 12 months, Pakistan achieved the number one ranking in Test cricket and won the ICC Champions Trophy - inflicting the biggest ever ICC tournament final defeat over arch-rivals India. However, 8 years later, Pakistan cricket has reached its abyss. Pakistan cricket has not been shy of despair & disappointment, but September 2024, fresh off a historic and humiliating whitewash by Bangladesh at home, Pakistan cricket finds itself in its darkest hour that has left Pakistan's cricketing identity in tatters.

How did a team that managed to win only 19 out of its 142 Test matches ended up outplaying and out-thinking Pakistan in Pakistan? Let's take nothing away from Bangladesh's success, but this series defeat said more about where Pakistan cricket is heading rather than a watershed moment for Bangladesh cricket.

A lot can be said about what the series, and sequence of events that led Pakistan to this stage - from years of red ball neglect, to poor pitches, to chaotic PCB power struggles, Pakistan cricket has let itself down in almost every aspect that matters. However, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. There are always ways to make things better as long as PCB demonstrates the capacity to recognize the root-cause of the problems.

A captain who does not belong at this level

Shan Masood Test career paints a pitiful picture - A Test average of 28 after 66 innings, notwithstanding the fact that he is 34 years old, means that he would struggle to get into any Test team in the world, let alone be in contention for captaincy. His poor Test record is not just a backlog of a bad start - it is a true reflection of his ceiling as a player at this level.

Since 2019, he averages 30 in 22 Tests. As captain, he averages 28 in 5 Tests. No matter how you slice his career, it represents a staggering failure and a player who has made it clear year after year and season after season that he does not belong at this level. The first immediate, corrective measure that needs to be taken (even before the England Test series starting next month) is to sack him from captaincy and remove him from the team altogether. A team like Pakistan that is already scraping the bottom of the barrel for batting talent simply cannot afford to carry a dead-weight that does not deserve to be in the playing XI on cricketing merit.

Multiple coaches, multiple captains

Multiple coaches and multiple captains do not work for a fragment dressing room like Pakistan where there is always a fine line between a united and disjointed dressing room. Shan Masood, Babar Azam, Gary Kirsten, Jason Gillespie - there are too many people in leadership roles and this is likely to backfire especially when it comes to players who are going to play across multiple formats. Pakistan needs to identify one captain and one coach who will be responsible for all three formats.

Pitches that have killed Pakistan's identity

Pakistan's 7-year success, or ability to prevent defeats, was built around producing pitches that provided assistance for spinners and negative the pace bowling prowess of non-Asian teams like Australia, England, South Africa and New Zealand. None of these teams were able to win a series away vs Pakistan from 2010 to 2017 because they could not cope with the slow pitches. However, since restoring Test cricket in Pakistan, PCB has failed to replicate the type of pitches that brought Pakistan success in the UAE.

The flat, dead pitches produced in Pakistan that do not produce enough turn even in the last couple of days has made Pakistan one of the easiest touring venues for any opposition who can not only score enough runs but also use its fast-bowling resources to dismantle Pakistan's fragile batting unit. It would be practically impossible for Pakistan to compete with England in the upcoming Test series if the pitches continue to be the ones that Pakistan have produced in the last couple of years. Pakistan's only chance of success is to produce turning wickets and pick two specialist spinners to subdue England's aggressive batsmen. Pakistan cricket has lost its identity because of the nature of pitches and the team organization that do not reflect a clear mindset and attitude.

The next all-format captain?

The sacking of Babar Azam, the appointment of Shaheen as T20I captain only to remove him after one series and right before a World Cup has caused severe damage to the dressing room. In addition, the keys to the Test team were handed over to a captain who is not even good enough to play Test cricket PCB needs to learn from this experience and identify an all-format captain who is not only an automatic choice in all formats but also a strong performer who can lead from the front.

Whilst both Babar and Shaheen fit the bill and will remain Pakistan's prominent performers for years to come, both are currently struggling for form and have been part of an ugly power struggle. Therefore, the default choice for Pakistan's all-format captaincy right now is Mohammad Rizwan, who continues to consistently perform in spite of being subject to unwarranted criticism at times. Rizwan is not without his shortcomings, but he has made it clear that he is by far the best WK batsman in the country right now and the most deserving and least risky option for all-format captaincy right now.

Pakistan cricket's problems go beyond what's happening at the top level because a lot of its problems are deep-rooted into the culture and psyche of Pakistan cricket, but that is for another day and another time. At the top level, over the next 12 months, Pakistan will be back as a fairly competitive team as long as it does the basics right, i.e. the immediate removal of Shan Masood from the team, going for one captain/coach combination across formats and develop spin-friendly pitches for home Test matches.