Pakistan cricket: Drama enters new season

Reviving departmental cricket will be uphill task for Sethi & Co.

The drama in Pakistan cricket is never over – both on and off the field. Management can be changed in the blink of an eye and it is hard to comprehend whether it is for the betterment of the game in the country or not.

Last week, cricket fans were once again reminded of the unpredictability and instability of the board in Pakistan when Ramiz Raja was removed as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman only to reinstate former boss Najam Sethi.

A month back, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif looked satisfied with the performance of Raja, but he came into power with the support of ex-Prime Minister and his captain Imran Khan, it was just a matter of time before he would be removed for some reason.

While Pakistan cricket hangs in confusion regarding which domestic structure will be in use, the board keeps getting bosses merely on the basis of personal liking and disliking of the PM, who is also the patron-in-chief.

As per the notification issued, a 14-member management committee, headed by Sethi, will take interim charge of the board for 120 days, mainly to reinstate the PCB’s 2014 version of the constitution and repeal the one introduced in 2019.

For the last four years, six regional teams played the First Class and List A games, while the second XI formed the lower layer of domestic cricket. Now, with the old constitution in place again, the system will feature both regional and department sides.

Biggest challenge of 2023

However, there is no certainty that departments will be willing to rehire cricketers and reform their teams given the worst economic situation in the country. Having said that, no one cares about all these challenges and prefers to make strategies following their personal agenda.

Sethi has been consistently critical of Raja’s policies and him being a one-man show. Now that he is yet again in the power, he is aiming to run the cricketing affairs on his terms.

The current scenario is a joke and also problematic, the time will tell whether it will benefit the players or not.

Sethi acknowledges the challenges his team will face in reviving departmental cricket. Still, he sounds much more positive regarding restoring the former structure, probably oblivious to the dire situation.

“A big challenge for us will be to implement the 2014 constitution as the departments that have not shut down their sporting activities, need to be reactivated,” he said while talking to Bol News. “Many departments are now closing their financial year and they will now have allotted budget for the following year which can pave way for the execution of the teams.”

He believes that it would be easier for the government departments to restart their cricket teams, but challenging for the private companies.

“Government departments like SSGC, SNGPL, WAPDA and others can form teams by managing budgets but taking private entities on board will be a broader challenge.”

Similar to the previous management’s belief, Sethi also maintained that departments do not have a fan base and they will ask them to sponsor the current teams.

“There is no fan club in departmental cricket and to tackle this challenge, we will ask departments to sponsor city teams,” he said. “For e.g, HBL Karachi, HBL Lahore, WAPDA Lahore as it will create a fan following and people will come to watch games.”

Pakistan’s run in 2022

Before the change of management, the Pakistan team had a rollercoaster run in the year, where they prospered in white-ball cricket while touching new lows in the Test format.

Babar Azam & Co. were consistent in the shortest format of the game, reaching the final of both the biggest T20 tournaments of the year, the T20 World Cup and Asia Cup. It was heartbreaking that they fell short on both occasions.

In the shortest format of the game, Pakistan played 24 matches, winning 13 and losing 11. As mentioned, the side choked in the important games and the template of cricket also stayed the same, relying heavily on the opening pair of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan with bowling doing most of the job.

Pakistan were inspiring in ODIs as well. Then Men-in-Green played just six 50-over games, where they ended up on the winning end five times. They defeated Australia at home courtesy of star performers, Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq, while a team performance saw them bagging a win in the Netherlands.

The disappointing format for Babar Azam and his men was Test cricket. Top-playing nations like Australia and England visited Pakistan and dominated them in their backyard. In March, after two games ended with no results, the Kangaroos managed to beat Pakistan in the final Test in Lahore.

Meanwhile, England changed the dynamics of Test cricket with their aggressive style of play and whitewashed the host nation 3-0. This was the first time Pakistan lost four games consecutively at home.

The pitches have been under scrutiny for offering nothing to the bowlers, but the performances of Pakistan players must be questioned in the longest format of the game.

Though Babar has been brilliant throughout with the bat, his captaincy is under massive doubt. The experts and fans blamed him for Pakistan’s failure in both the finals and Test match defeats at home.

Now, with Sethi in power, Pakistan fans might see someone else leading the side in 2023 as Raja was a huge supporter of Babar, backing him all the way.

There are numerous candidates who can take the captaincy band from Babar in limited-over cricket, while the strongest contender will remain the star all-rounder Shadab Khan.

Moreover, with the passage of each day, the possibility of getting some old names, such as Mohammad Amir, is getting higher. The left-arm pacer and the former PCB chairman were not on good terms for various reasons, one being Amir’s tainted past.

Now that Sethi is in the power, there are reports that suggest Amir is looking to take his retirement back and don Pakistan colours once again.

Eventful year

The current New Zealand series comprising two Tests and three ODIs will consume half of the month of January and Pakistan do not have any international commitment till April 10. The Blackcaps will return for five ODIs and as many T20Is in mid of April.

Pakistan will then travel to Sri Lanka to start their 2023-2025 cycle of the ICC World Test Championship. They will face Afghanistan for three T20Is before the Asia Cup in their home ground.

But since ACC President and BCCI Secretary Jay Shah categorically denied India will not travel to Pakistan despite having the hosting rights, the venues for the 50-over tournament are undecided.

India are scheduled to host the World Cup in October/November and Pakistan have so far put up a strong stance of boycotting the event in case the Men-in-Blue do not come for the Asia Cup.

Post World Cup, Pakistan will travel to Australia for three Tests in December. It will be the first time Pakistan will play three Tests Down Under since 2016/17.

Babar’s supremacy

Babar Azam – the stalwart of world cricket, continued to impose his authority with the bat in 2022. The Lahore-born has been invincible across formats and his progress in Test cricket is one to admire as he has scored in tough situations.

He will finish the year as the highest run-getter in a calendar year across all formats, having clinched claimed the record of scoring the most runs by a Pakistani batter, surpassing Mohammad Yousuf’s 2,435 runs in 2006.

Moreover, he also ended his year with the most 50s in a calendar year. The Pakistani batter struck 25 50+ scores, leaving behind Ricky Ponting’s 24 in 2005.