LAHORE: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has called for the revival of club cricket and greater consistency in team selection, saying the country’s cricketing talent must be developed through a strong domestic structure following Pakistan’s disappointing Test defeats against England.
Speaking to the media in Lahore on Friday, the legendary left-arm pacer urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to allow its newly introduced domestic system to operate for at least three to four years before judging its effectiveness.
Akram said frequent changes to the domestic structure had prevented it from producing the desired results and stressed that talent development required patience and continuity.
“PSL has completed 10 years, but not a single batter has emerged from it,” Akram said, while acknowledging that the Pakistan Super League had produced bowlers.
He said Pakistan’s defeats against Bangladesh in both home and away series had already sounded alarm bells, but the warning signs had not prompted meaningful corrective action.
“Whatever the coach, even if you bring the best coach, I or [Gary] Kirsten, the talent you have is the same,” he said.
Akram stresses consistency in team selection
The former captain said Pakistan needed consistency not only in its domestic structure but also in the national team’s selection.
“The team should have consistency, but the same boys keep coming and going,” he said.
Akram criticised the repeated chopping and changing of players and coaches, arguing that Pakistan needed to give its players sufficient time to develop and establish themselves at the international level.
He also called for the revival of club cricket, which he described as the foundation of Pakistan’s talent pipeline.
“Talent has to come from club cricket,” Akram said, urging the PCB to strengthen the grassroots system.
He proposed that the board invest Rs100 million each in Karachi and Lahore to develop cricketing infrastructure and revive the country’s traditional club cricket network.
According to Akram, a stronger grassroots structure would provide a wider pool of players from which Pakistan could identify and develop future international cricketers.
White-ball cricket in better shape
Akram said Pakistan’s white-ball setup was currently in a better position but expressed serious concerns over the country’s red-ball cricket.
“White-ball is fine, but red-ball is not. We face difficulties in that,” he said.
His comments came as Pakistan struggled against England in the ongoing Test series, with the visitors suffering back-to-back defeats.
Akram also urged patience in assessing Pakistan’s fast bowlers, saying pace alone should not determine whether a bowler is considered successful.
“Bowling one delivery at 150 kilometres per hour is not a major achievement, while maintaining 140kph throughout the day is exceptional,” the former captain said.
Shaheen’s pace raises concern
Akram also questioned the reduction in Shaheen Afridi’s bowling pace, describing him as an experienced international bowler and stressing that England would benefit from having players with similar experience.
“If I were there, I would say I need Aaqib Javed. He has bowled well in England recently,” Akram said.
He also emphasised the importance of variety within Pakistan’s pace attack, recalling that the national team had previously succeeded in similar English conditions by using fast bowlers with different styles and speeds rather than relying on a group of similar bowlers.
Mid-series overhaul ’embarrassing’
Akram had also criticised Pakistan’s mid-tour changes a day earlier, describing the departure of several players and coaches during an international tour as “embarrassing”.
Speaking during an interview with cricket YouTuber Furqan Bhatti, Akram said consistency and communication were essential to building a successful team.
“When seven players and two coaches return in the middle of a tour, it is embarrassing for the team and the captain, and it also shows there is a lack of communication,” he said.
Read Also: Razaullah’s Record-Breaking Debut Helps Pakistan Set England 130-Run Target
Following Pakistan’s successive defeats against England, the PCB undertook a major overhaul, replacing seven members of the squad, including senior players Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq and Salman Ali Agha.
The board also appointed Mike Hesson as white-ball head coach and Ashley Noffke as assistant coach, replacing Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul respectively.
Akram, however, maintained that Pakistan possesses sufficient talent to compete at the highest level, saying his involvement with PSL teams over the past several years had allowed him to observe the country’s players closely.
“I have been involved in the PSL with these teams for the past four to five years, so I have seen the situation closely. In my view, the talent is there. Coaches may change, but the core players remain largely the same,” he said.
The former captain again urged the PCB to show patience with its domestic cricket structure, saying it should be given several years to produce results instead of being repeatedly altered.
