Don’t make kings make cricketers as Pakistan cricket faces cultural shift

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“Mike Hesson told Babar Azam that if he wants to be part of the T20 team, he must do wicketkeeping.”

When I read this on social media, I immediately knew it was the work of Babar’s keyboard warriors. Now, they will try to portray him as a victim and launch a verbal attack on Hesson — and that’s exactly what happened. I was 100% sure that Hesson couldn’t make such an illogical statement. Later, it was confirmed that the statement was fake. 

When someone asked the coach about it, he replied, “I’m still trying to understand the Pakistani media and what’s possible here.” 

He was then informed that the mainstream media is responsible, but this was the work of social media users.

This is what typically happens in Pakistan — as soon as a new coach arrives, conspiracies begin to discredit him. Leading the charge are often former cricketers who don’t want their own interests to be affected. The same happened with Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie. So far, Hesson hasn’t fully taken power, which is why he’s safe — but once he settles in, you’ll see what happens to him.

It’s no secret now that senior players like Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan no longer have a place in the T20 team. After consistent defeats, the board decided that if we’re going to lose anyway, we might as well give young players a chance — perhaps they’ll settle in and lead Pakistan back to victory. This is why Salman Ali Agha was given the captaincy; he has, so far, stayed clear of agents and the politics of former cricketers. If the young team finds its footing before the World Cup, we won’t need the seniors again. Otherwise, we’ll have to call them back.

Hesson was given coaching responsibilities because he’s capable of making independent decisions without external pressure. Although he never played international cricket, he has a good reputation. Currently, Aaqib Javed holds significant influence in the board, and the coach must maintain good relations with him — otherwise, like past foreign coaches, he may be forced to leave early.

The Director of High Performance is now trying to bring in his preferred coaches to the National Cricket Academy. Former NCA head coach Shahid Anwar, who recently completed a Level 4 course in Australia, has been sent to run a camp in Multan. This clears the path for Aaqib, who has already appointed his desired coaches. Some people argue that he, as a selector, favored players from Lahore Qalandars, but they forget that he is also damaging Shaheen Shah Afridi’s career. Constantly dropping him has affected his confidence.

Now that Hesson has made Shaheen part of his core team, he must also instill confidence in him. In fast bowling, there’s no young player capable of replacing Shaheen. The coach also needs to find new batting talent. In India, after Sachin Tendulkar came Virat Kohli, and now Shubman Gill is piling up runs. Unfortunately, we have no such players.

Based on past performances, we gave Babar Azam the title of “King.” He is now ranked 23rd in Test cricket and no longer among the top 10 in T20s. Only his consistent ODI performance has kept him at No. 2 in that format. Alongside constantly praising Babar, we need to look at new players who can perform well for Pakistan. Babar and Rizwan, during their time, deliberately didn’t allow new batters to emerge. Now that they no longer hold power, it’s time to bring in fresh talent.

Unfortunately, most recent players don’t seem like “long-distance runners.” We saw a few good innings from Saim Ayub and turned him into Brian Lara. That kind of hype damages a player’s mindset and career. Players need to stay grounded — make cricketers, not kings. Getting caught up in titles like “King” and “No look” creates more problems.

To discover new talent, work must begin at the grassroots level. Talented youngsters need real opportunities. Sadly, the people currently managing domestic cricket lack knowledge and experience. The decisions they made last year have already been reversed. Someone should ask them: Didn’t you say the Champions Cup would reveal a lineup of talented players? Where are those players now? Where’s the Champions Cup?

You claimed there was so much talent in Pakistan that we needed 18 teams in Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Now, you’ve cut it down to 8. Either you were wrong before, or you are wrong now.

Mohsin Naqvi is making every effort to improve Pakistan cricket, but due to his other major responsibilities, he has had to delegate authority. Some members of the team are wasting his efforts and missing no opportunity to undermine him. Officials like Abdullah Khurram Niazi offer little hope for improvement. Aaqib Javed must also be kept in check — giving him too much power could be harmful in the long run.

So far, the only benefit of Aaqib’s presence is that after every defeat, he becomes the obvious target for criticism, behind whom others conveniently hide. However, Aaqib must now prove his worth at the academy.

Fortunately, upcoming series are against teams like Bangladesh and West Indies. Only matches against stronger opponents will truly reveal where we stand. One thing is certain: our cricket has fallen far behind. The current PCB board is not solely to blame — things weren’t exactly perfect before either. Everyone shares responsibility for the decline.

In my career, I’ve never seen a PCB Chairman more powerful than Mohsin Naqvi. He doesn’t have to answer to any parliamentary committee or ministry. Even the media and former cricketers fear him. If there’s anyone who can remove Naqvi from his position, it’s Naqvi himself. His opponents have tried hard, but now even they realizes this.

Naqvi was entrusted with this role because of his integrity. I know he wants to bring improvement. If he cannot fix Pakistan cricket, then no one can. He’s making the effort — now he just needs to devote a bit more time to the game. Build a good team, and you’ll start seeing gradual progress.