Being a fan of Pakistan cricket right now feels like watching a beloved team stumble through a dark tunnel. In the last 19 Test matches, Pakistan has been on the losing end 14 times, a dismal run that culminated last week with a humiliating defeat at Headingley. England smashed them by an innings and 103 runs in the opening Test of the series, exposing flaws in every department of the game. The English side looked relaxed with the ball, struggled with the bat and fielded poorly – a combination that highlighted how far Pakistan has slipped.
Ahead of the second Test at Lord's, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Cricket (the pre‑match show starts at 10 am, the first ball at 11 am), senior Cricinfo editor and Pakistan specialist Osman Samiuddin joined former England captains Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain on the Sky Sports Cricket Podcast. During the discussion Samiuddin laid out his diagnosis of the problems that have pushed Pakistani cricket into what he described as an "alarm‑bells stage," with supporters increasingly fed up with the way the sport is being administered.
Samiuddin began by tackling the chaotic domestic structure that has been altered almost every season since the first first‑class competition in 1953. He argued that the board should finally decide on a single model—whether departmental teams or regional sides—and stick to it for at least a decade. "There has been a great battle in Pakistan over the last 50 years about the right structure," he said.
"Pick one and keep it for the next ten or twelve years. The constant tinkering has destroyed stability." The board’s recent attempts to trim the number of teams have only added to the confusion. In the 2019‑20 season the domestic competition was reduced from 16 teams to six, only to be expanded again later to 16 teams across four first‑class tournaments and three white‑ball tournaments. The 2019 cut slashed the pool of first‑class cricketers by roughly half, leaving many players without a livelihood.
Samiuddin recalled stories of former professionals who suddenly found themselves driving taxis because their contracts vanished overnight. He also pointed out that the reduction in teams meant a dramatic contraction in the venues used for domestic cricket.
Where once matches were spread across 16 first‑class grounds, recent seasons have seen games played on just four or five venues. This limited exposure makes it difficult for batsmen such as Abdullah Shafique and Imam‑ul‑Haq to develop the adaptability required for Test cricket, where conditions can vary wildly from one ground to another. Another major grievance is the scarcity of Test matches. Pakistan has not played double‑digit Tests in a calendar year since 2017.
By contrast, only Sri Lanka (four), Ireland (three) and Afghanistan (two) have scheduled fewer than five Tests for 2025. Pakistan is slated to play nine Tests in 2026, but the lack of regular high‑level competition hampers player growth and erodes confidence.
Samiuddin blamed much of the turmoil on the board’s leadership turnover. Since 2021, four different chairmen—Ramiz Raja, Najam Sethi, Zaka Ashraf and the current chairman, Mohsin Naqvi—have taken the helm, each bringing a distinct vision and varying degrees of involvement.
Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s interior minister, is stretched thin by his governmental duties, raising doubts about how much attention he can devote to cricket administration. The impact of this instability is evident in the careers of Pakistan’s brightest talents. Players like Shaheen Shah Afridi, Babar Azam, Abdullah Shafique and Naseem Shah burst onto the international scene with great promise, only to see their progress stall.
Samiuddin argued that mismanagement of player development—particularly in handling injuries and providing consistent coaching—has been a key factor. Shaheen, for example, suffered a knee injury while fielding in Sri Lanka in 2022 and has since endured a confusing rehabilitation process, returning to the Test side before he was fully ready. He has played just nine of the last 27 Tests since his comeback, and his first‑class workload has been minimal over the past three years, a dangerous situation for a fast bowler whose body needs regular high‑intensity work to stay match‑fit.
Naseem Shah’s case is similar. He has not featured in a Test since December 2024, despite being one of the most exciting young pacers in the world. Both Shaheen and Naseem have been dropped from squads without clear explanations, a practice that "messes with a player's career" and undermines morale. Frequent changes in coaching staff—different head coaches, bowling coaches, and support personnel every few months—have left players without a stable guidance framework.
Samiuddin warned that Pakistan is wasting an increasing amount of talent. While some degree of attrition is inevitable in any sport, the rate at which promising players are lost or under‑utilised has accelerated dramatically over the past five or six years.
The combination of erratic domestic reforms, insufficient Test exposure, leadership turnover, and poor player management creates a perfect storm that threatens to push Pakistani cricket into a prolonged decline. The atmosphere in Leeds underscored the fan frustration. Pakistani supporters were noticeably thin in the stands, and Samiuddin noted that patience with the PCB’s governance is wearing thin. He recounted hearing from fans—anecdotally rather than through formal surveys—that their anger is not directed at the players' on‑field performances but at the way the sport is being run.
"People will still turn up at Lord's," he said, "but the numbers are dwindling. If this continues, cricket in Pakistan could end up like hockey here, or like the West Indies, where the sport has all but faded from the national consciousness." In summary, the alarm bells are ringing because Pakistan cricket suffers from a lack of structural stability, a shrinking domestic talent base, inadequate international fixtures, and a revolving door of administrators who cannot give the game the focused attention it needs. Until the PCB commits to a long‑term domestic model, ensures consistent leadership, and implements a robust player‑development pathway, the national team is likely to continue its slide, leaving fans to wonder when the golden era will return, if ever.