The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) released a new song for the PSL; it has BIG names. Karachi Kings appoint a new captain and come up with a new kit. Peshawar Zalmi boasts of a hand-woven design on its shirts. Multan Sultans are again proudly presenting their international female coaches, and Lahore Qalandars are being all coquettish. The United family is too busy looking cool. The hype is there, but the heart is not. A few years ago, these things would have me glued to the phone, liking every post, commenting and sharing my opinion. But PSL X 2025 feels different.
As PSL turns ten, walking to its birthday feels more like a chore than a cheer. It wasn’t always like this. Much is to be blamed on what has been happening with the cricket team and the Board itself. Here’s why I feel a little reserved watching PSL X 2025.
PSL X 2025: Where Does the Disconnect Lie?
The PCB and Pakistan Cricket Team have become an Embarrassment
The kind of cricket the Pakistan national cricket team is playing, or has been playing for the past couple of months (Minus a few matches) and the changes that followed in the Board have been embarrassing to say the least.
Every time the team loses a tournament or a series, the management decides to implement some changes. The PCB has a default setting. They just push the button, and all of a sudden, a captain is sacked, a coach resigns, or a worn-out player is forced to wake up from his slumber. And what about the changes in management and the committees? Nobody dares go there, It has become an untouchable empire. A slight criticism can lead to exclusion from the squad, ask Fakhar Zaman or Mohammad Haris. To put it into simpler words, in PCB, when the door needs fixing, they change the windows.
What’s the connection of all this with PSL X 2025? The Pakistan Super League takes up a lot of space. All focus is PSL throughout the year, while all the things that NEED attention are decided in a mere meeting spanning a few hours. How unfair is that? Can’t PSL be put on pause for a year while serious issues are dealt with? More focus should be put on building a system that strengthens both the men’s and women’s national teams rather than deciding who sings the League’s jingle, all year long.
Related to PCB: Where is Pakistan Cricket headed after the recent developments in the Board?
All work in PSL, no play in the Internationals
Players being all hyped up for the PSL, while they seem to be unbothered when their side is losing in the international matches, has to be the worst thing to witness as a cricket fan. Somehow, the ‘go big or go home’ attitude never makes it out of the 20-over tournament for certain players. Winning for the franchise takes precedence over winning for the country.
Take Shadab Khan, for instance. The once-an-ace-spinner was seen celebrating his five-wicket haul in Lanka Premiere League after he sucked in every possible international match for his side. I’ve never seen Shaheen so desperate to win a match for Green Team as he is for Qalandars. The most amazing and successful captain in PSL history, Muhammad Rizwan, at instances stood clueless as he captains team Pakistan. Rizwan was seen being very nonchalant about the recent loss against the Kiwis, urging fans to just focus on the PSL X 2025 excitement. It’s not always the case, yes, but the pattern is getting more visible every passing year, and it’s hard not to notice.
Bigger Player Pool, Very Limited Options
There is absolutely no doubt that PSL has immense contributions in increasing the pool of talented players. The examples are countless. But somehow, the way these new/emerging players are managed seems to be off. Every year, the tourney unleashes a plethora of talent. While I don’t insinuate that they become part of the national side immediately, benching these players when they can be given chances just doesn’t make sense. Most players are given a spot in either a do-or-die game or in the very last match of an event/series.
To make things worse, older, previously sidelined players are given calls to join the team when younger, talented options are present. Yes, the experience matters, but so do giving opportunities and for a fair period. Take Saim Ayub, for example. Lad did amazingly well once he was given a fair amount of matches to showcase his talent. If not the national team, there should be a proper player development program after every season that ensures that the raw talent is honed further and their services are taken whenever necessary.
Contrary to the above, cricketers with zero performance throughout the year and a miraculous comeback in the PSL are called back to the team. It’s hard to forget the damage that calling Imad Wasim and Muhammad Amir back for the T20 World Cup 2023 did.
There are so many other factors. There is nothing wrong with the PSL itself. In fact, we owe a lot of our team success to it, but it has started to take up too much space in our Board’s annual schedule. As we hum to the new tune of the PSL X 2025 anthem, let’s not forget that the foundation of PCB remains shaky and that our team has major issues to resolve. The national team is far more important than any franchise or any league.
