By Muhammad Siddique Kayani
The Green Shirts were eliminated from the Super 8 stage of the T20 World Cup 2024 after losing to the USA and India in the first round. Criticism has been leveled at the team selection and Captain Babar Azam’s strategy. The absence of a reserve player added to the pressure as there was no one available to step in. Team Pakistan showed no preparation or planning for this mega event. Despite having the world’s best pace attack with Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, and Muhammad Amir, along with world-class batsmen Babar Azam, Rizwan, and Fakhar Zaman, their performance did not benefit the team. Similarly, all-rounders Shadab and Iftikhar failed miserably, though Naseem Shah, Imad Wasim, and Mohammad Amir impressed with their bowling. Azam Khan and Usman were complete failures in the middle order. Babar Azam’s own performance and captaincy were also disappointing. The Shaheen XI appeared to be an average team in bowling, batting, fielding, and planning. The captain’s grip on the team was negligible, and every crucial decision went against them. Losing to a new team like the USA in a Super Over and losing a won match against India have left a black mark on Babar Azam’s captaincy. Cricket historians will undoubtedly mention Babar Azam’s substandard captaincy and favoritism, highlighting how he continued to play out-of-form and failed players like Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Usman Khan, Azam Khan, Haris Rauf, Saim Ayub, and Iftikhar Ahmed, shattering the unity of the team. The mystery leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed, included in the World Cup squad, was not given a single match, while Shadab was played in all matches despite his poor performance. Isn’t the captain responsible for this? Why was Shadab played in all matches despite the team’s losses? Meanwhile, Shadab, Iftikhar, Azam, and Usman kept playing without performing.
While Rome was burning, Nero was fiddling.
Talented players who performed in domestic cricket like Aamir Jamal, Saud Shakeel, Usama Mir, Haider Ali, Sulman Ali Agha, Mehran Mumtaz, Abrar Ahmed, Tahir Ayub, Muhammad Haris, Sahibzada Farhan, Zaman Khan, Wasim Junior, Irfan Khan Niazi, Abdullah Shafique, and Asif Ali were sidelined. The selection committee also shares the blame for strangling merit and including favored players in the team. When merit and justice are murdered in team selection, such results are inevitable. Looking at world cricket, Babar Azam’s captaincy in this World Cup has been the worst, even the new team USA’s captain was a better planner and thinker. Similarly, Ireland outperformed with better planning and kept the match under control until the last moment. If Team Pakistan can’t easily beat the USA, Canada, and Ireland, how could they compete with the big teams in the Super 8? It was better for this team not to reach the Super 8, or else they would have faced more humiliation by losing all matches badly. There is now a strong demand from all sides to change the entire team, including the captain, as they are not performing. The demand is justified, but instead of changing the entire team, the captain should be replaced first. Remove the favored and selected players immediately and select the team on merit. Rebellious elements promoting group politics in the team should be reined in, and if they do not reform, they should be removed from the team. The new captain should be a player with excellent performance, one whom all players respect and follow. Moreover, the captain should have a fighting spirit and the ability to compete until the last moment. Player selection should be based on domestic cricket performance. Babar Azam, who is repeatedly getting out to spinners, and other out-of-form cricketers should be bound to play domestic cricket to correct their mistakes so that they can be given a chance in white-ball cricket again based on merit. Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, and Saim Ayub should also correct their technical mistakes by playing domestic cricket. The good performance of any team depends on merit-based selection and the talented captain’s excellent planning when needed, but unfortunately, neither is our team’s selection based on merit nor is the leadership right. These areas need to be fixed, or else our cricket will fall far behind. A selection committee should be formed that ensures the inclusion of players based on the team’s needs and best performances, or else our cricket is on the brink of disaster. Don’t prioritize relationships in team selection. The chairman of the cricket control board should form a neutral selection committee comprising former cricketers of good repute who do not select their sons, nephews, and sons-in-law against merit. Former cricketers like Mohsin Hassan Khan, Rashid Latif, Amir Sohail, Rameez Raja, Wasim Akram, and Younis Khan should be included in the think tank of the advisory board. Do not appoint B-class cricketers to high positions, as they will further ruin the team’s morale by selecting their favorites. An excellent psychologist should also be appointed with the players to work on their positive mental approach.