Shahid Hashmi, a prominent Pakistani journalist and seasoned cricket analyst, joined Saj for an exclusive interview with PakPassion and shared his candid insights into the pressing issues plaguing Pakistan cricket.

By Saj Sadiq (May 9, 2025)

Shahid Hashmi, a prominent Pakistani journalist and seasoned cricket analyst, joined Saj for an exclusive interview with PakPassion and shared his candid insights into the pressing issues plaguing Pakistan cricket.

With decades of experience covering sports globally, Hashmi dissected the systemic failures, leadership chaos, and fading fan enthusiasm impacting the team’s performance.

Key topics include:

Constant PCB leadership changes and their disastrous consequences: Spoke about how frequent changes in the chairmanship of the Pakistan Cricket Board have led to significant instability and poor performance in the cricketing structure.

PSL 2025’s lack of innovations and plummeting fan engagement: Spoke about how the PSL has failed to create hype or introduce innovations, resulting in decreased fan engagement compared to leagues like the IPL.

Why Pakistan’s domestic structure lags behind global standards: Highlighted the flaws in Pakistan's domestic cricket, contributing to a significant gap between domestic and international cricket standards.

Multan Sultans’ shocking collapse: Pointed out Multan Sultans' struggles, attributing their poor performances to ineffective team combinations, which have hindered their success in the league.

Mike Hesson’s potential coaching role and lessons from past foreign coaches: The possibility of Mike Hesson becoming Pakistan’s head coach was explored, with insights into how previous foreign coaches have influenced the team’s approach and development.

The fading India-Pakistan rivalry and its implications for cricket: Expressed concerns over the diminishing India-Pakistan cricket rivalry, noting that fewer future matches could hurt fan interest and the sport’s commercial appeal worldwide.

Generation losing interest in cricket and Pakistan’s future: Highlighted a growing concern that a new generation is losing interest in cricket, which in itself poses a serious challenge for the future of the sport in Pakistan.

Watch the full interview here: