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Pakistan's failing glory: Former players react to humiliating defeat at the hands of India

  • Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf chief and former Pakistani captain Imran Khan expressed his displeasure over his country’s state of cricket
  • Imran Khan tweeted that it was painful to watch Pakistan being thrashed by India without putting up a fight
  • He also called for a revamp of the existing cricket structure in Pakistan
Pakistans failing glory Former players react to humiliating defeat at the hands of India

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf chief and former Pakistani captain Imran Khan expressed his displeasure over his country’s state of cricket. He took to Twitter to say how disappointed he was over Pakistan’s dismal performance against India and in the recent past. 

 

Pakistan’s woes began after the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team bus back in 2009. The incident occurred at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore where six policemen and two civilians were killed. Umpire Ahsan Raza was shot twice, and two Sri Lankan players were gravely injured. Previously Australia and New Zealand had cancelled their tours in the country owing to security reasons.

This sealed Pakistan cricket’s fate. Most international cricket teams refused to tour Pakistan. Pakistan’s cricketers criticised the arrangements. Domestic cricket was in a terrible shape, and existing cricketers failed in getting better in their game. The following year saw three top Pakistani cricketers, Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were handed five to ten-year bans for a spot-fixing scandal.

Not only this, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been accused of corruption. Pakistani batting legend Javed Miandad said that PCB should involve ex-cricketers in their administrative affairs. Otherwise, he says that the team will be putting up disastrous performances.

Former Pakistan Captain Misbah-ul-Haq believes that the country's domestic structure is behind their struggles in the One Day International (ODI) format.

Test legend Waqar Younis condemned current Pakistani batsman Umar Akmal after he was sent home from England for failing a fitness test on the eve of the Champions Trophy and said that Umar should be ashamed to have been deemed unfit by his coach and sent back. He stated that this episode damaged Pakistan’s reputation.
Trouble has been brewing between the players as well. Umar Akmal was fined half his match fee after questioning his teammate Junaid Khan’s absence during a game in the Pakistan Cup.

After the debacle against India, Imran Khan tweeted that it was painful to watch Pakistan being thrashed by India without putting up a fight. He also called for a revamp of the existing cricket structure in Pakistan. This was also voiced by Shoaib Akhtar.

 

Imran’s former compatriot Ramiz Raja said the Pakistan needs a course correction.

Pakistan is languishing at the No 8 spot in ICC ODI team rankings while India is in No 2, even though they have played more matches than India. And so Pakistan needs to do something about reinvigorating its cricket and do it quick. Otherwise, we may have to see more such lacklustre and uninspiring matches from a team that would terrorise others at one point in time.

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