KARACHI: Gloom and demands for wholesale change engulfed cricket-crazy Pakistan on Tuesday after the hosts crashed out of the Champions Trophy in the group stage, barely a week into celebrating the return of a major tournament.
The title-holders lost their opening game to New Zealand by 60 runs in Karachi last week before Sunday’s six-wicket defeat to arch-rivals India pushed them to the brink of an early exit.
Pakistan needed Bangladesh to beat New Zealand on Monday to keep their slim hopes of a place in the semifinals alive, but the result went the other way.
Thursday’s match with Bangladesh in Rawalpindi has been reduced to a dead-rubber.
“We have been backing these players for the last few years but they are not learning nor improving,” former captain Wasim Akram told AFP.
“It is time for a major shake-up. We need to improve our system of domestic cricket so that we can produce quality cricketers, not ordinary ones.”
A lack of competitiveness in domestic cricket and low-quality pitches have been blamed for not preparing players for the international stage.
The sport in Pakistan is also held back by frequent changes to the cricket board, coaching teams and selection panels, critics say.
Such changes are driven by politics and not merit, according to observers.
“I feel very despondent with the state of Pakistan cricket,” former captain Rashid Latif told AFP.
“We have to follow merit and bring in professionals in the administration of the game and not people on a political basis.
“Frequent changes in the Pakistan Cricket Board, selection committee and captains have failed us in forming a proper setup and team.”
The early elimination stings for a country that had relished hosting its first major cricket tournament in 29 years, after significant improvements in security.
“We were thrilled that an international event had finally returned to our country, but the joy was shortlived,” said 26-year-old Umar Siraj, a pharmacist in Rawalpindi.
“The hardest part of being a Pakistan fan is that you end up praying for other teams to lose,” he chuckled. “It’s painful. I’m gutted.”
Pakistan’s Champions Trophy flop is nothing new. They also crashed out of the 2023 ODI World Cup in the first round in India.
It was followed by their exit at the same stage in the Twenty20 World Cup in the US and West Indies last year — a tournament won by neighbors India.
Pakistan last month finished ninth and last in the World Test Championship after drawing a home series with the West Indies.
The latest debacle, and on home soil, represents a new low.
“It is disappointing that they didn’t even put up a fight,” said Naseem Satti, a 46-year-old government servant.
“We have no quality bowlers, no reliable batters and it seems cricket is dead in Pakistan.”
Asma Batool, a 52-year-old housewife, underlined just what cricket means to people in Pakistan.
“Cricket is the only source of entertainment for our youth,” she said. “Our nation finds solace in this game.”
