NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan captain Moin Khan has warned that the country could find it increasingly difficult to arrange bilateral series with top teams if the national side continues to struggle. Moin, who played 69 Tests and 219 ODIs for Pakistan, also criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the national selectors for the way the cricket system has been handled in recent years.
‘People will lose interest in Pakistan cricket ‘
Moin said Pakistan have struggled across formats, particularly in Test cricket. He fears the situation could get worse if the team’s poor results continue.“We have been struggling in all formats but notably in test matches and if this trend continues I am afraid people will lose interest in Pakistan cricket,” Moin said on a podcast.He warned that Pakistan could slip down the cricketing order and face problems in attracting top teams for bilateral series.“We might find ourselves relegated to the bottom half of the cricket world finding it difficult to get bilateral series with top teams.“I blame the frequent changes being made by the board in the cricket system including appointments/removal of captains, coaches, players and the inexplicable calls made by the national selectors.“Unless you don’t have continuity, stability and faith in a captain, coach or players, how can you expect to achieve good results,” he said.
Frequent changes hurting Pakistan cricket
Moin said repeated changes in domestic cricket and the national team have affected Pakistan badly. According to him, the uncertainty has also resulted in players losing confidence in the system.The former wicketkeeper-batter also said the PCB often makes decisions based on the people in power at a particular time rather than following a consistent institutional approach.“Whenever a chairman and management team is changed you see things change in our cricket system which are not necessarily productive. So where is the stability?,” he asked.
Moin questions players’ priorities
Moin also held some of the players responsible for the current situation. He expressed disappointment with the approach of players who, according to him, are not spending enough time improving their skills and cricketing temperament.“I don’t want to harp on the past but to me it seems most players nowadays don’t give enough time to developing their skills and cricket temperament. It is more about how much money we can make in leagues rather than setting and reaching personal goals of excellence as a cricketer.”He said financial rewards would follow if a player first focused on performing successfully for the national team.“When I played we earned in lakhs. Nowadays players earn in crores but players must also remember nothing is greater than playing for your country with success.”
‘Priorities have changed’
Moin said he had given similar advice to his son, Azam Khan, who has played T20 internationals for Pakistan. He said representing the country should take priority over private leagues.“I guess priorities have changed for players now. The PCB and selectors have not helped by devaluing the Pakistan cap,” he added.According to Moin, playing for Pakistan in his time required considerable hard work, sacrifice and preparation.He recalled how preparation helped him perform under pressure.“People ask me how you always got runs in a crisis situation and I tell them it is all about how well you prepare as a player for the matches.”
Concern over Pakistan’s pace bowling
Moin also expressed concern about the current state of pace bowling in Pakistan. He said bowlers need to put in more hours to develop their skills and improve their pace.“Bowlers are not willing to put in the hours. I played with greats like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Akhtar and I can tell you the perfection of bowling on any sort of pitch and increased pace only comes when you put in long hours in the nets.”Moin said the great fast bowlers he played alongside worked extremely hard on their skills and fitness. He made it clear all these greats worked very hard on their skills and fitness by themselves.