Hit the bottom. New low. Down and out. The performance of the cricket team has been stunning. Words are not enough. It is unbelievable. It is terrible. The loss against Bangladesh in a Test series at home has washed away any hopes or pretenses that we had that they were “just going through a lean period”.
The manner of loss is bigger than the loss itself. The reaction to the loss is a confirmation of this not being the end. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman has announced a shift in the way the national cricket team will be selected. The PCB is now turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to help choose players and replace those who are underperforming.
This announcement on its face value seems a stride in the direction of focusing on technology. This statement on its own merit can be looked at as a progressive step. But put it in the context of what has been happening in the last few years, it does seem a bit desperate. What has brought it to this level where human intelligence has failed to come up with the right team is something that needs to be discussed in depth.
Cricket is not just another sport in Pakistan; it is a passion that is shared across geography, history, culture, gender, age groups and income class. You cannot pacify this nation with a few statements and empty resolve. The malaise is much deeper. The treatment is superficial. Some glaring flaws that need human intelligence rather than Artificial Intelligence are:
1- In search of leadership— The fish rots from the top. PCB as an institution has failed to have stable and competent heads. Being head of Pakistan Cricket Board is one of the most sought after glamorous posts. The power and perks that come with it are addictive. That is why politicians run after it.
The seesaw between Najam Sethi (PML-N candidate) and Zaka Ashraf ( PPP candidate) was the beginning of the end. Each brought their own coterie of sycophants whose only interest was how to hog the limelight, the foreign tours and the lucrative deals. Key posts are doled out to people who are close to them. These unmerited appointments result in lack of reforms in the institution and domestic cricket. With the fundamentals being the same, captains and teams are not selected on the basis of fitness, cricketing prowess and knowledge.
Once the team fails and there is public outrage, strange changes are made in the team composition that result in further chaos. The leadership rot continues to trickle down. In white ball cricket our performances have been miserable. The World Cup in India was disappointing for Pakistani cricket fans.
The T20 World Cup in the USA and Caribbean was pure anguish. Pakistan suffered a loss to USA to be wiped out at the group stage. This is the same team that beat India in 2021 T20 by 10 wickets. This is the same team that made it to the final of T20 World Cup in Australia in 2022. The only certainty in PCB is uncertainty.
Arbitrary and incompetent decision-making has destroyed potential. If these very players were finalists two years ago, what has happened since then? The answer is glaring incompetence in team selection and rampant nepotism.
2- Premature and post-mature stardom— When matters are dealt with unprofessionally, without addressing the root cause, success is always occasional. There is universal agreement on Pakistan’s domestic structure needing an overhaul. School cricket, Club cricket, Divisional Cricket need to be professionally organized to nurture talent.
So where are we picking our talent from? Straight from T20. Shaheen, Haris Rauf, Shadab Khan are all products of PSL. The great thing is that PSL produces great talent.
The sad thing is that this talent is too raw to fit into all types of formats and conditions. Like a premature baby, these superstars when put into the longer formats and cut-throat international cricket find it difficult to survive.
The other problem is that the structure of cricket is so weak and corrupt that talent coming for the ranks is never discovered, or if it is, sadly at a very late stage. Misbah ul Haq, Saeed Ajmal and Fawad Alam made it to prominence in their 30s. These are the issues that need cleaning and restructuring at all levels.
3- Paradigm shift in cricket— The biggest problem is that cricket is a transformed game. Just as in hockey the introduction of Astroturf exposed the limitations of hockey players, in cricket the Bazball introduction has demanded a completely different mindset and skillset for cricketers.
Traditional steady cricket is obsolete. Fast paced, out of the box shot playing in all formats is the norm. Batsmen are required to have an attacking mindset with an innovative skill set where Test matches have become fast paced and extremely competitive. Bowlers have to be supersmart to outthink the increasingly daring batsmanship.
The Bazball approach requires acute game awareness and extraordinary mental and physical fitness. This is the biggest flaw and handicap in the Pakistan team. Their only understanding of fitness is that they are not fat and not injured.
Cricket fitness is the supreme muscle by muscle training that is done in a meticulously planned manner. This results in split second responses leading to impossible catches. Cricket fitness is having the understanding and discipline of staying away from normal desi, junk food for years to maintain razor sharp reflexes. That is the biggest challenge when you take a not really educated teenager from PSL turn him into a demigod.
How do you try to make him understand that he is just a flash in the pan without the basics of supreme fitness, controlled diet and relentless practice? His immature, semi educated, unexposed mind will react and dismiss it as jealousy, black magic or bad luck.
Let us examine the intelligence of using Artificial Intelligence for selecting players? Will AI come up with talent beyond numbers and averages? Will AI sieve through the layers of number fudging and corrupt practices? Would an AI be able to pick up Wasim Akram-caliber talent in some random net practices? Would AI be able to save the cricket team from high domestic scorers whose fitness levels are a total embarrassment?
And if AI is doing 70% of the selection job then why pay millions to the selectors?
It is not artificial intelligence but human intelligence that is missing. It is not the lack of quality but the lack of credibility that has made merit a casualty. A botoxed institution will never have the courage, competence and commitment to challenge the rooted mafias. The more cricket changes the more things at PCB remain the same.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024
The writer is a columnist, consultant, coach, and an analyst and can be reached at [email protected]
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