Emotional Shoaib Akhtar analyses Pakistan cricket: ‘Lallu … Senseless and headless management, inko shareef bacche chahiye, PCB has to focus on grassroots’

“Where will the attitude come when the captain [Salman Agha] is not inspiring. When the captain doesn’t deserve his place in the side, what can he do to inspire? … Captain is a reflection of the cricket board’s choices. Pakistan team’s performances are a reflection of the coaches. You have brought in a coach [Mike Hesson] who isn’t willing to listen to stuff. We have died here (on channels) telling him, play one more fast bowler bhai, and one more batsman in Hasan Nawaz. But the coach says no, he wants to play half-baked allrounders. They cant’ win you the matches in critical situations.

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If Haris Rauf isn’t performing, you have options but you haven’t played them. When the management is insecure, then they won’t allow big people to get forward – and the work won’t be done. India makes a hero of Virat Kohli also, Shubman Gill also, Abhishek Sharma also – why aren’t they insecure about making heroes? Here the management needs to be secure,” Akhtar told ARY News. “Senseless and headless-chicken management. The team combinations weren’t right, the captaincy wasn’t spot-on, and they weren’t willing to listen to us (former players talking on channels). I don’t think the captain justifies his place in the middle order and as a spinner.”

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When the host asked him about the vanishing talent-pool of fast bowlers that used to be Pakistan’s identity in the past, Shoaib used humour to make his point.

“These were the days when we used to enjoy tear-away fast bowlers. We used to enjoy and celebrate unusual talents. But now, we seem to like timid, mediocre players.

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“Humey ab shareef bacche chahiyen (we now want obedient kids), jo aaath baje curfew legake ghar pey bait jaayen (who will sit inside rooms after 8pm curfew). Cricket board ko in jaisey bechare, lallu-kattu chahiye (the board wants these kinds of kids). They don’t want strong personalities. This is the reflection of the policies of the PCB.”

He also explained why he has stayed away from the cricket administration after his retirement from playing international cricket.

“From the first day after my retirement, I had decided that I will never join PCB as whoever has gone there, has never come out with respect. I work in TV, take money and sit. These guys don’t want strong personalities.”

Shoaib Akhtar then listed out the salient parts of a proposal he says he gave to the PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi.

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“Mohsin Naqvi is probably a smart guy, but he takes advice from those people ,… look at the team he has built, based on their suggestions … India has invested in Ranji Trophy, players take home a lakh a day and improve their game.

“We have killed divisional, departmental cricket. The stability that used to come from that is gone. If you centralise everything and keep saying ‘chowdary mein hi hoon, and meine power-sharing nahi karni, toh talent kahan sey aayega? (I am the boss and I won’t share power then where will the talent come from…).”

He then mentioned his proposal to PCB. “I had even sent in a proposal. PSL 2.0 kar lein, create 8 new regions, make 7-8 new teams, create a pool of 15,000 players, invest money in domestic. I am talking about PSL 2.0 that starts at a smaller junior grassroots level, not the PSL that is going on. If you don’t invest there at junior level, where will the kids emerge? Mohsin saab liked my proposal, I hope he implements it.

India on the other hand invested in a younger lot in grassroots. All of them have come from the system, making money. They keep the IPL as entertainment.”

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When the host perked up at that final point and asked him to enlighten how contrary to perception in Pakistan, it’s not just the IPL that provides the talent, Akhtar made his point.

“Their players come from a system at the grassroots. If a batsman doesn’t make 4000 runs in domestic, or bowls 2000 balls a season they don’t allow them to enter. Me, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis used to bowl 1500-2000 balls per season, including nets. Shaheen Shah Afridi doesn’t have the accuracy because he hasn’t bowled that many balls. What can you expect from him?

“So, all these things will continue. Now there is Mohsin Naqvi, next time koi aur saab aa jayenge, Najeem Sethi or someone else. Nizam chalta rahega, hoga kuch nahi. Unless you bring in a visionary educated man… Now Naqvi still has a chance to correct the system. They have the money, opportunity – do it. History will remember that you started this.”

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