Being a Pakistan cricket supporter has become a test of patience. In the last 19 Test matches, the national side has tasted defeat 14 times, a dismal run that was highlighted by a crushing loss to England at Headingley, where the visitors were out‑scored by an innings and 103 runs in the opening match of the series. The English bowlers were relentless, the batsmen unconvincing and the fielding sloppy – a perfect storm of shortcomings that left Pakistan’s fans feeling helpless. The second Test is set for Lord's on Thursday, with live coverage on Sky Sports Cricket beginning at 10 a.m.
(first ball at 11 a.m.). In the lead‑up to that game, 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 dissect what has gone wrong. Samiuddin warned that the sport in Pakistan has reached an "alarm‑bells stage," with supporters increasingly frustrated not just by the on‑field results but by the way the game is being administered. Samiuddin began by pointing out the chronic instability of Pakistan’s domestic structure.
Over the past five decades there has been a relentless tug‑of‑war between departmental teams – those sponsored by corporations or government bodies – and regional sides representing provinces or cities. He argued that the board should pick one model and stick to it for at least a decade, rather than flipping the format almost every season since the first first‑class competition in 1953. "We have changed the structure every year," he said, "and that lack of continuity is destroying the pipeline of talent." In 2019‑20 the PCB slashed the number of first‑class teams from sixteen to six, only to expand again later to sixteen teams spread across four first‑class tournaments and three limited‑overs competitions.
The abrupt reduction in 2019 wiped out half of the country’s first‑class player pool. Samiuddin recounted stories of cricketers who, overnight, found themselves without a contract and were forced to take up jobs such as driving taxis to make ends meet. This upheaval, he argued, has directly weakened the quality of domestic cricket, which is the breeding ground for future Test players.
The problem is compounded by the fact that recent domestic tournaments have been played on a handful of venues – typically four or five grounds – rather than the broader network of sixteen venues that existed in earlier eras. "How can a batsman like Abdullah Shafique or Imam‑ul‑Haq learn to adapt to different conditions when they only ever play on four pitches?" Samiuddin asked. The limited exposure hampers the development of technique and temperament required for the rigours of international Test cricket. Another sore point is the scarcity of Test matches for Pakistan.
Since 2017 the team has not featured in ten or more Tests in a single calendar year, a stark contrast to the schedule of other nations. In 2025, only Sri Lanka (four), Ireland (three) and Afghanistan (two) played fewer than five Tests, while Pakistan is slated for nine matches in 2026.
Samiuddin believes this shortage is partly self‑inflicted, citing the revolving door of PCB chairmen since 2021 – Ramiz Raja, Najam Sethi, Zaka Ashraf and now Mohsin Naqvi – each bringing divergent visions and varying levels of engagement. The current chairman also serves as the country's interior minister, a demanding portfolio that leaves little time for cricket administration.
The lack of stable leadership has had a tangible impact on player development. Talented youngsters such as Shaheen Shah Afridi, Babar Azam, Abdullah Shafique and Naseem Shah have burst onto the scene only to stall or regress.
Samiuddin blamed the PCB’s mishandling of careers, citing inconsistent injury management, inadequate development programmes and frequent coaching changes. Shaheen, for example, suffered a knee injury while fielding in Sri Lanka in 2022, and his rehabilitation was plagued by confusion and a rushed return to action.
He has played just nine of the last 27 Tests since recovering, while Naseem Shah has not featured in a Test since December 2024. Fast bowlers, in particular, need regular first‑class cricket to build stamina and refine their craft. Yet Shaheen has hardly bowled a domestic match in three years, and Naseem’s opportunities have been similarly limited.
This neglect, combined with the erratic selection policy that has seen both players dropped from the Test squad without clear justification, "messes with a player's career," Samiuddin warned. The cumulative effect, according to Samiuddin, is a growing waste of talent. While some inefficiency is inevitable in any sporting system, the rate of loss in Pakistan has accelerated dramatically over the past five or six years. The board’s failure to protect and nurture its brightest prospects has left a generation of cricketers under‑utilised and demoralised.
Fan sentiment mirrors these concerns. At Headingley, the Pakistani contingent was noticeably thin, and many supporters expressed a weariness not just with the team's poor results but with the governance of the sport itself. "Fans are not angry at the players; they are angry at how cricket is being run," Samiuddin said. He predicts that attendance at future matches, even iconic venues like Lord's, will continue to decline if the status quo persists.
"We are at a danger point where cricket in Pakistan could follow the same downward trajectory as hockey in the country or as cricket has in the West Indies," he warned. In summary, the crisis facing Pakistan cricket stems from a combination of structural instability in domestic competitions, a shortage of high‑quality Test fixtures, erratic leadership at the PCB, and poor management of player careers. Without decisive, long‑term reforms – a stable domestic framework, consistent coaching, transparent selection policies and a dedicated administrator focused solely on cricket – the national side risks further decline and the erosion of its once‑vibrant fan base.
The upcoming Test at Lord's will be another litmus test, but the real battle lies off the field, where the foundations of Pakistan cricket must be rebuilt before the alarm bells become an irreversible siren.