Former India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar commented over the big reason for the inconsistent performance of the Pakistan team at the international level and its exit from the Champions Trophy is due to the sheer lack of confidence that presently reigns in the Pakistan camp.
The Pakistan Cricket Board is very disappointed and angry about the way their national team exited this tournament; however, they have decided not to comment on the matter until the end of the Champions Trophy on Sunday, March 9.
It was learned that the officials felt hurt by the performance their national team had in the ongoing Champions Trophy, mainly versus their bad rivals India.
“Earlier, we used to say natural talent involved the West Indies. Then post-1980s, we used to say about Pakistan. They had the mentality,” Gavaskar told Basit Ali while speaking on the latter’s YouTube channel.
“I think the major flaw that we saw in the Pakistan team was simply a lack of confidence. It’s a question of self-belief. There’s no lack of talent, but they’re not confident,” he said.
“There’s a sort of confidence that was formerly reserved for all the previous teams, and you don’t see that in the Pakistan team. It appears as if they are somehow hesitating to plunge into the pitch, that they are hesitating,” he added.
According to various sources, the PCB feels that a successful completion of the tournament would pave way for bringing more international events to Pakistan, in spite of all the odds stacked against it when it was trying to win the hosting rights of the Champions Trophy.
The reports added that the Pakistan Cricket Board could appoint a new head coach before the start of the next World Test Championship cycle in August 2025.
On Monday, India’s positioning in the semifinals was ensured through New Zealand’s victory over Bangladesh, a result that swiftly obliterated Champions Trophy hosts Pakistan from the competition.
Winning their first two matches convincingly, they took down both Bangladesh and Pakistan with the same margin of six wickets.
Having lost both of their first two matches, Pakistan needed a set of results to go their way to ensure a semifinal qualification.
