Being a Pakistan cricket enthusiast at the moment feels like watching a beloved team stumble through a dark tunnel. In the last 19 Test matches, Pakistan have been on the losing side 14 times, a dismal run that was highlighted by a crushing defeat to England at Headingley.
The English side won the first Test by an innings and 103 runs, a result that left the Pakistani camp looking vulnerable in every department. Their bowlers were unable to apply sustained pressure, the batsmen failed to post competitive totals, and the fielding was riddled with errors – a perfect storm of shortcomings. The second Test is set to begin at Lord's on Thursday, with live coverage on Sky Sports Cricket starting at 10 a.m.
(the first ball at 11 a.m.). Ahead of the match, senior Cricinfo editor and Pakistan cricket analyst Osman Samiuddin joined former England captains Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast to discuss the root causes of the current malaise. Samiuddin warned that Pakistani cricket is now at an "alarm‑bells stage," with supporters increasingly frustrated not only by the on‑field performances but also by the way the game is administered in the country.
Samiuddin traced the problem back to a chronic lack of structural stability. Over the past five decades, Pakistan has been caught in an endless debate over whether its domestic system should be based on departmental teams—sponsored by corporations and government bodies—or regional sides representing provinces and cities. He argued that the board must choose one model and stick to it for at least a decade, allowing players, coaches and administrators to work within a predictable framework.
Instead, the domestic structure has been altered almost every season since the inaugural first‑class competition in 1953. This constant reshuffling has prevented the development of a coherent talent pipeline. In 2019‑20 the board slashed the number of first‑class teams from sixteen to six, only to expand again later to sixteen teams across four first‑class tournaments and three limited‑overs competitions. The 2019 reduction, Samiuddin noted, effectively halved the pool of professional cricketers.
Many players suddenly found themselves without contracts and were forced to take up unrelated jobs, such as driving taxis, to make ends meet. The abrupt changes have also eroded the quality of domestic cricket, which is the breeding ground for future internationals. Previously, matches were spread across sixteen first‑class venues; now they are confined to four or five grounds, limiting exposure to varied playing conditions. Young batsmen like Abdullah Shafique and Imam‑ul‑Haq, for example, cannot learn to adapt to different pitches if they only ever play on a handful of tracks.
Another issue highlighted by Samiuddin is the scarcity of Test cricket for Pakistan. Since 2017 the team has not played ten or more Tests in a calendar year, a stark contrast to the schedule of other nations. In 2025 only Sri Lanka (four Tests), Ireland (three) and Afghanistan (two) played fewer matches than Pakistan’s five‑Test slate.
The upcoming 2026 programme promises nine Tests, but the current deficit has left the squad under‑prepared for the rigours of the longest format. Administrative turbulence compounds the on‑field woes. Since 2021, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has seen four chairmen—Ramiz Raja, Najam Sethi, Zaka Ashraf and the current incumbent Mohsin Naqvi—each bringing divergent philosophies and levels of involvement.
Naqvi, who also serves as the country’s interior minister, is stretched thin by his governmental duties, raising doubts about how much attention he can devote to cricket. This lack of focused leadership has manifested in inconsistent selection policies and erratic player management. Samiuddin pointed to the career trajectories of several promising youngsters as evidence of mismanagement.
Shaheen Shah Afridi, Babar Azam, Abdullah Shafique and Naseem Shah all burst onto the international scene with great expectations, yet many have regressed. The analyst blamed the PCB’s handling of injuries and player development.
Shaheen, for instance, suffered a knee injury while fielding in Sri Lanka in 2022 and experienced a confusing rehabilitation process that may have rushed his return. Since his comeback, he has featured in only nine of Pakistan’s 27 Tests, and he has not played a first‑class match in three years—a worrying sign for a fast bowler who needs regular high‑intensity work to maintain pace and durability. Similarly, Naseem Shah has not appeared in a Test since December 2024, despite being touted as a future spearhead of the attack.
Frequent changes in coaching staff have added to the instability. Players often do not know who their head coach or bowling coach is at any given time, which hampers the development of clear game plans and personalized training regimes.
The lack of continuity in mentorship means that talent is not nurtured effectively, leading to what Samiuddin described as "wasteful" handling of Pakistan’s cricketing resources. While some degree of talent attrition is inevitable, the rate at which promising players are lost or under‑utilised has accelerated dramatically over the past five to six years. The analyst also highlighted the opaque nature of selection decisions. Both Shaheen and Naseem, though not part of the current Test squad, have been dropped without clear explanations, a practice that can damage a player’s confidence and career trajectory.
Such uncertainty fuels frustration among the cricketing fraternity and erodes trust in the governing body. Fan sentiment in England reflected this growing disenchantment. At Headingley, the Pakistani contingent was noticeably thin, and Samiuddin observed that supporters are growing weary of the board’s governance rather than merely the team’s results. While many fans will still travel to Lord’s to cheer for their side, attendance is declining, and the overall enthusiasm is waning.
Samiuddin warned that if the current pattern continues, Pakistani cricket could follow a similar decline to that of hockey in the country or the West Indies cricket, both of which have suffered from administrative neglect and dwindling public interest. In summary, the challenges facing Pakistan cricket are multi‑layered: a perpetually shifting domestic structure, insufficient Test exposure, leadership turnover, inadequate player welfare and development, and opaque selection policies.
Addressing these issues will require decisive, long‑term planning and a commitment to stability from the PCB. Only then can the nation hope to restore confidence among its passionate fan base and return to the competitive heights it once enjoyed.