New Delhi: Pakistan have a new head coach for their men’s Test team—the seventh such appointment in four years, and one that illustrates how the country’s national cricket has been caught in a ceaseless spiral.
Azhar Mahmood was made the acting head coach last week, being elevated from the all-format assistant coach position he had held since last April.
The allrounder’s appointment is yet another example of how Pakistan, once considered a cricketing powerhouse, has been hit by years of misgovernance, political interference, corruption and self-serving, power-hungry officials.
In February, Pakistan endured the searing disappointment of a winless campaign in the Champions Trophy, the first major International Cricket Council (ICC) tournament they hosted since 1996. The agony deepened as they were swept aside by New Zealand, suffering a brutal 4-1 defeat in the T20I series, followed by a humiliating 3-0 whitewash in the ODI series.
The disappointing Champions Trophy run, combined with security concerns and a shrinking fanbase, has sparked doubts about the country’s future as a cricketing hub, even as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), in a desperate attempt to hit the reset button, announced Mahmood’s appointment.
Former Pakistan skipper Rashid Latif believes lack of cricket education is at the core of the problem. “These systems (like the National Cricket Academy, exist in India and Australia. We don’t have anything like this. We are lagging behind. Cricket education is the need of the hour,” he told ThePrint early in April, at a time Pakistan were touring New Zealand.
Managed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the NCA was set up with an aim to scout and nurture young talent with potential for national cricket, as well as player rehabilitation.
Other experts ThePrint spoke to echoed the sentiment that Pakistan’s cricket infrastructure was falling apart. The management is accused of favouritism more often than not and the PCB has painted itself as a victim of inconsistency, dwindling funds, and a lack of direction, they said.
“Sports in any nation mirror the state of its society,” Faizan Lakhani, deputy sports editor at Karachi-based Geo News, told ThePrint in March, reflecting on the Champions Trophy rout and other recent disasters in Pakistan Cricket. “Our society has experienced a decline, with a lack of drive to improve, and this apathy is clearly visible in the sport.”
He described this period as the “dark age of Pakistan cricket”.
The rot is deep, and underlines a complete lack of planning, vision, and grassroots development.
The stadiums are ageing, neglected, and barely up to international standards; most haven’t seen meaningful upgrades in years. Even basic facilities like proper training grounds, high-performance centres, and academies are low in number and whatever exists is outdated.
Compare that to India’s rapid stadium revamps, Indian Premier League-fuelled academies, or even Afghanistan’s steady rise in cricketing stature.
“Pehle ek-ek area mein paanch ground hote the. Ab paanch area mein ek ground hain,” said Lakhani. “Commercial activities have taken over (earlier each area in Karachi had 5 grounds; today, five areas together have one ground).”
Inter-school and inter-college competitions have become increasingly rare, which is why participation in sports is steadily falling, he said.
But, neglected stadiums or lack of training academies isn’t all.
Latif, 56, said those dealing with cricket statistics in Pakistan are not equipped to handle this data. “Our management has to understand the difference between data, data science and data engineering.”
“That’s why today, the IPL has become an industry, and PSL (Pakistan Super League) couldn’t. In fact, PSL has experienced a downfall with every passing year,” he added.
Security a forever concern
The country has also been struggling to convince international teams to visit ever since terrorists attacked a bus that was carrying Sri Lanka cricket players in Lahore in 2009. Six players were injured in the attack and cricket teams from across the world stopped visiting the country to play.
Even when Pakistan hosted the Champions Trophy, the India games were held in Dubai over intel of security threats.
More recently, weeks after India-Pakistan tensions played out in the skies during Operation Sindoor, friction between the nuclear neighbours spilled over into the world of cricket, with reports saying that the BCCI was yet to confirm its participation in the Asia Cup.
Indian sports journalist Pradeep Magazine said Pakistan’s cricket has long been “unstructured” and unlike BCCI, which has a well-established, independent framework, the PCB has struggled with consistency and organisation. “When matches are one-sided, people lose interest.”
Death of domestic cricket
Regional associations, once instrumental in nurturing grassroots cricket in Pakistan, have been weakened by infighting and power struggles. Political interference at the regional level, too, has inflicted deep damage on the credibility and efficiency of the system.
One of the biggest flaws lies in the formation of city teams.
When a particular club’s representatives gain control over a city’s domestic team management, they push their own players, sidelining deserving talent from other clubs, explained Lakhani. “There’s an unwritten rule whispered in local circuits: ‘If you play for my club, you’ll make it to the city squad, otherwise forget about selection.’ This club-centric favouritism compromises merit and deteriorates the quality of cricket.”
Similar issues were voiced by veteran Pakistani batter Sohaib Maqsood in a video last November. Maqsood, who represented Pakistan in limited-overs formats from 2013 to 2021, highlighted a glaring lack of opportunities for emerging players. He pointed out that the current domestic cricket setup does not cater to development of players at the grassroots level.
Talent is either ignored or mishandled, which is why many promising players fade away before they can reach the international stage, he said.
Senior district cricket tournament is probably the most important tournament for 90% of the cricketers in our country that defines their future in cricket listen till the end how the future gets destroyed 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿 pic.twitter.com/8Kd2FEg0s1
— Sohaib Maqsood (@sohaibcricketer) November 21, 2024
In another video, he highlighted how district-level coaches ruin careers of young players by restricting them from playing internationally. They keep the talent to their district team so that they win matches.
For Pakistani cricket, what’s even more troubling is the glaring gap between domestic and international cricket. “Pakistan lacks a robust ‘A-team’ structure,” said Lakhani.
To truly compete at the international level, players must face high-quality opposition regularly. Without competitive ‘A’ tours, side matches, or proper exposure, domestic talent fails to transition smoothly to the international stage—and the entire ecosystem suffers for it.
“Other cricketing nations like India ensure that their A-team tours extensively, especially ahead of major series. When India tours Australia, their A-team arrives earlier to get accustomed to the conditions,” Lakhani said.
Toxic inconsistency
Add to the chaos, the inconsistency of PCB which has become a revolving door of political appointees and the picture becomes even more stark.
One chairman is sacked, another is installed—a round of musical chairs that only hurts the game. Every new regime scraps the previous one’s policies, leaving players confused and systems in limbo.
The constant turnover of PCB chairmen has not only disrupted the management but also thrown the team’s balance into disarray. Over the past two years, Pakistan’s international team has seen its head coach change a staggering seven times, besides constant switches in captaincy.
In October 2023, just ahead of Pakistan’s crucial ICC World Cup match against South Africa, PCB issued a press statement putting captain Babar Azam on notice, signalling growing internal tensions.
This escalated further when claims emerged that Babar’s attempts to reach PCB officials like then chairman Zaka Ashraf and director Usman Wallah went unanswered. A leaked purported private chat between Babar and PCB chief operating officer Salman Naseer added to the controversy.
Amid these tensions, Inzamam-ul-Haq resigned as chairman of the national men’s selection committee and junior selection committee on 30 October, citing a conflict of interest inquiry. By mid-November, Babar was compelled to resign as Pakistan’s captain across all formats, with Shaheen Afridi and Shan Masood taking over the reins in Test and T20I formats, respectively.
The restructuring continued as Mohammed Hafeez was appointed director of the national men’s team, while the roles of the previous director Mickey Arthur and head coach Grant Bradburn were adjusted.
In early 2024, a series of leadership changes saw Zaka Ashraf resign, and Mohsin Naqvi took over as PCB chairman.
Naqvi’s tenure too was marked by challenges, including player dissatisfaction and ongoing internal restructuring.
In March 2024, Shaheen Afridi was sacked as T20I captain, only for Babar to return as his replacement.
Further upheaval continued throughout the year, with several staff and management changes, including the exits of coaches Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie, who blamed lack of communication and transparency.
Later in March 2025, Salman Ali Agha was named the new T20I captain while Mohammad Rizwan continued to lead the side in the ODI format.
According to Lakhani, the ‘centralisation’ of PCB in the last 25 years is to blame. Associations, even at district level, are not empowered, he said. “In their selection committee. There is always a member of PCB involved.”
Further, Latif explained that as money flowed into the PCB, salaries for managerial staff soared from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 20 lakh on average per month, paving the way for “too many political appointments”.
Latif and Maqsood both echoed a harsh reality: inconsistency runs deep, not just within the ranks of PCB, but within the team itself.
Players, too, find themselves caught in this vicious cycle.
Many promising cricketers, brimming with talent, receive little support from the management and, after just a handful of patchy performances, are quickly cast aside. “Had Mickey Arthur not thrown his weight behind Babar Azam, he would never have made it to the team,” Lakhani remarked.
If a player has batted on Multan’s pitches all his career, management can’t just send him to Sydney and expect him to perform with the same intensity. “And, if he doesn’t deliver in four or five matches, he is dropped,” he added.
Experts ThePrint spoke to also delved into the insecurity plaguing senior players, noting how their reluctance to step aside stifles new talent.
“The involvement of former cricketers has been reduced to TV shows and commentaries,” Lakhani said. “They do very little at the grassroots level.”
Take Shoaib Malik, for instance—a former captain whose role should be to mentor younger players, yet he remains intent on playing himself, unwilling to relinquish his spot. Even well into their 40s, players like him continue to represent regional teams, despite having no future in international cricket.
Today, selection for Pakistan’s cricket team seems driven more by social media buzz than by solid, consistent performances in domestic cricket.
A flashy innings and a viral hashtag are often enough to secure a call-up.
India vs Pakistan
The state of Pakistani cricket has also taken away from one of the most electrifying contests in the game—India vs Pakistan. It is now reduced to a one-sided encounter, with India consistently dominating.
Since 2010, India has won 12 out of 17 ODIs against Pakistan, with only four losses and one no-result.
In T20I matches, India are the runaway leaders. From 2010 onwards, the two sides have locked horns in 11 matches, out of which, Pakistan has emerged victorious in only three.
The disparity in resources is noteworthy—India has a wealth of financial backing and an ever-growing pool of talent, making its dominance almost inevitable. In contrast, Pakistan struggles with limited funds, and when that money doesn’t trickle down to the grassroots level, problems arise.
“It’s sad to witness their decline, and it’s a worrying trend for world cricket,” Magazine said.
Then there is the security situation. The 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore bus marked a tragic turning point. It led to Pakistan being isolated from hosting international cricket.
In the aftermath, Pakistan was forced to play “home” games abroad—in Dubai. Latif said playing on Dubai pitches took a toll on Pakistan’s cricket. “Dubai pitches made their game play from aggressive to defensive.”
But Magazine feels otherwise. “Home games generate passion, inspire young players, and fuel public interest. As fewer people were drawn to the sport, Pakistan’s cricketing pool shrank.”
In Lakhani’s view, going forward, Pakistan’s cricketing future hinges on three key pillars: honesty, patience, and consistency. “The system must be rebuilt from the grassroots.” He also stressed the need for a structured approach at every level, from clubs to top-tier teams.
If the administrative changes aren’t made now, Magazine warned that Pakistan risks following the path of the West Indies, a once-great cricketing nation now struggling for relevance. “It’s not a good sign for world cricket.”
As Magazine put it, “With the West Indies, Sri Lanka, and now possibly Pakistan on the decline, what’s left?”
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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