Shahid Afridi, who used to lead the Pakistan cricket team, has shared his worries about how politics is interfering with the appointments in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and how it’s affecting the talent coming up in the sport. He took a trip down memory lane, recalling how, in his playing days, the national team was filled with match-winners, a quality he feels is missing in the current squad. Afridi connects this drop in talent to problems within the domestic cricket scene, including the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and the pathways available for player development.
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Afridi believes it’s essential to establish strong grassroots programs, especially for young players, to ensure we nurture the stars of tomorrow. He made it clear that political meddling and leadership without the right intentions are holding back progress, leading to a system that struggles to develop cricket players effectively.
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In a recent media chat in Gilgit, he put it plainly: “If I had any influence, I would probably be the chairman of the PCB right now. Back in our day, the team had plenty of match-winners, but that’s just not the case anymore.” He insisted we need accountability when it comes to developing players, stressing that those who coach the Under-16, Under-17, and Under-19 teams need the right training and skills themselves. “If you let a bureaucrat run domestic cricket, no one will really get how it works. Each new chairman of the PCB usually comes in with political ties. Just swapping out leaders isn’t going to fix anything,” he added, expressing his frustrations about how domestic cricket is being managed.
When talking about regional talent, he assured, “If there’s good talent in Gilgit-Baltistan, it won’t be ignored.” He also made it clear that if he were to join the PCB, it wouldn’t be for personal gain: “I’m not interested in contracts or perks. If I get involved with the PCB, it would purely be for the interest of Pakistan.
Looking ahead, Pakistan is set to take on the West Indies in the upcoming T20I and ODI series, kicking off on July 31 and wrapping up with the final ODI on August 12. These matches are critical, and fans are surely looking forward to seeing how the team performs against their Caribbean counterparts.
