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 has suffered 14 defeats, a run of failures that culminated last week with a humiliating three‑day loss to England at Headingley, where the visitors were bowled out for an innings and 103 runs. The English side looked effortless with the ball, struggled with the bat and fielded poorly – a combination that exposed Pakistan’s frailties in every department.
Ahead of the second Test at Lord’s, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Cricket (10 a.m. on air, 11 a.m. first ball), senior Cricinfo editor and Pakistan specialist Osman Samiuddin joined former England captains Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast.
Samiuddin laid out his diagnosis of the problems that have pushed Pakistan cricket into what he described as an "alarm‑bells stage," with supporters increasingly frustrated not only by the on‑field results but also by the way the game is administered back home. "Whatever structure you choose – there has been a massive battle in Pakistan for the past half‑century over whether you should run departmental or regional sides – I would simply pick one and stick with it for the next ten or twelve years," Samiuddin argued. Since the inaugural first‑class season in 1953, the domestic system has been in constant flux, with the governing board reshuffling formats almost every season.
This lack of continuity has prevented any real stability from taking root. He reminded listeners that the PCB trimmed the number of first‑class teams from 16 to six in the 2019‑20 season, only to expand again later to 16 teams across four first‑class tournaments and three white‑ball competitions. The abrupt reduction in 2019 decimated the pool of professional cricketers; many players suddenly found themselves without contracts and were reported to be driving taxis to make ends meet. Such drastic, frequent changes have eroded the quality of domestic cricket, which traditionally serves as the breeding ground for international talent.
"Domestic tournaments used to be played across 16 venues; now they’re confined to four or five grounds," he noted. This concentration limits exposure to varied conditions, making it difficult for batsmen like Abdullah Shafique and Imam‑ul‑Haq to adapt their technique to different pitches. Moreover, Pakistan’s international calendar has been sparse.
The team has not played a double‑digit number of Tests in any year since 2017, while only a handful of nations – Sri Lanka (four), Ireland (three) and Afghanistan (two) – have scheduled fewer than five Tests in 2025. The PCB has a nine‑match Test itinerary for 2026, but the underlying issues remain.
Samiuddin also highlighted the chaotic leadership at the PCB. Since 2021, four chairmen – Ramiz Raja, Najam Sethi, Zaka Ashraf and now Mohsin Naqvi – have taken the helm, each bringing divergent philosophies and varying degrees of involvement.
Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s interior minister, juggles demanding governmental duties with cricket administration, raising doubts about how much attention he can devote to the sport. He pointed to the inconsistent development of star players such as Shaheen Shah Afridi, Babar Azam, Abdullah Shafique and Naseem Shah. Many of these talents burst onto the scene with great promise but have since plateaued or regressed. Samiuddin blamed the PCB’s mishandling of player careers – from injury management to basic development pathways – for this decline.
For instance, Shaheen has featured in only nine of 27 Tests since returning from a knee injury, while Naseem has not played a Test since December 2024. Shaheen’s knee problem, sustained while fielding in Sri Lanka in 2022, was followed by a confusing rehabilitation process and a rushed return to action. Both bowlers have suffered from constant changes in coaching staff, leaving them uncertain about who is guiding their technique and fitness. A fast bowler, especially one recovering from injury, needs regular first‑class cricket to rebuild strength and rhythm, yet Shaheen has played hardly any domestic matches in three years.
The same applies to Naseem. Over the past five or six years, Pakistan has become increasingly wasteful with its talent pool – an inefficiency that has accelerated dramatically. Samiuddin also mentioned that both Shaheen and Naseem, despite not being in the current Test squad, have been dropped without clear explanations, a practice that "messes with a player's career" and undermines confidence. The atmosphere in Leeds was telling: Pakistan’s fan base was thin, and patience with the board’s governance appears to be wearing thin.
While fans may still travel to Lord’s to support their team, their enthusiasm is waning. Samiuddin said he has heard from supporters who are not angry at the players for losing, but are exasperated with how cricket is run in Pakistan. He warned that if the current trajectory continues, cricket in Pakistan could suffer a fate similar to that of hockey in the country or the West Indies cricket decline, where administrative turmoil eclipsed on‑field potential.
In summary, the combination of an ever‑shifting domestic structure, insufficient Test exposure, erratic leadership, poor player management and a disconnect between the board and its supporters has created a perfect storm. Unless the PCB commits to a stable, long‑term plan and invests earnestly in player development and transparent governance, the alarm bells will keep ringing, and Pakistan cricket may continue its slide away from the heights it once enjoyed.