These were the remarks of one of our fans on the recent Afridi debacle. However, I feel we need to look at the bigger picture since the issue really is the future of Pakistan Cricket team. There have been so many views from all corners including past players, politicians, general public regarding what needs to be done to change the course of cricket in Pakistan. The solutions ranging from changing of captain to dropping players to changing the cricket board chairman. Some would go as far as saying that cricket shall be banned from Pakistan. Frankly speaking, every such thing has been tried. The results are always on the negative side. It is also notable that every former cricketer believes there is lot of talent in Pakistan; only the problem that the system needs better organizers. I believe there is one aspect that everyone is missing out in all this discussion. There seems to be a wide spread lack of discipline amongst the current cricketing lot. To me, this lack of discipline is something that needs to be taken seriously and dealt with.

Pakistan has always complained about the domestic structure. For whatever reasons, the structure still remains the same and doesn’t seem to produce the results for them. Still talented individuals come about from nowhere really. These youngsters model themselves on cricketing heroes of their times. This is the inspirational source that produced all the fast bowlers that Pakistan cricket boasts about. It is a fact that any field of the life and in any region of the world young generation gets inspiration and models themselves on their heroes. This is where I believe Pakistan is lacking. If we go into the era of 60s, 70s till mid 80s one will find cricketing heroes like Hafeez Kardar, Fazal Mehmood, Hanif Mohammad and Imran Khan. All these were internationally recognized and respected not only for their cricketing heroics but their gentleman attitude towards the game. The generation that was blooming in the 90s had people like Wasim, Waqar, Inzamam, Saeed Anwar and Aamir Sohail who would always tell the world that their inspirational models were greats like Imran and Javed Miandad. Most readers would remember that Pakistan was at their peak in the 90s also winning the world cup in 92. However, something seriously went wrong afterwards.

The problem started in that period and continues till today. Player revolts, drug incidents, fighting incidents etc. became a routine in the post Imran Khan Era. This problem has worsened today.  The Pakistani young cricketers of today are following the ‘role models’ that are leading them to all sorts of wrong directions. Almost every other guy in the team has either an established discipline related issue or the non established (unauthentic) one. Nevertheless, everything is in the media and the youngster is in for a problem since he’s following the ‘wrong heroes’.

Consider this:

• Shahid Afridi: The ball biting hero who has also been caught on camera damaging the pitch in the past. On top of that his unusual style of play has really damaged the young generation as they don’t want to play with a straight bat and want to hit every ball for six.
• Shoaib Malik: His dressing room attitude was questioned recently by a section of Pakistani press. Earlier he has been in the press for a marriage conflict with an Indian girl.
• Younis Khan: Inconsistent attitude towards game. Resigned days before a major tournament, then took back the resignation. Recent incident was that he went on a fishing trip to some remote area and didn’t attend the selection meeting for the tour.
• Muhammad Asif: After being sent back from the Champions Trophy caught taking banned substances, he still had enough depth in his character to get caught with drugs in the UAE.
• Shoaib Akhtar: Do I need to write something?

The list can go further than this and the traces of this can also be found back in time where Waqar, Wasim and Aqib were caught on a West Indian beach with some drugs. Generally the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been supportive of their players and this attitude has always led to even more indiscipline. With these sorts of role models and a really feeble domestic structure I don’t understand how Pakistan cricket would survive the competitive times ahead.

I don’t know if all the readers would agree to this, and I would love to have some comments, but concluding the post, if someone asks me for a one word solution to all of Pakistan cricket’s problems. My answer would definitely be ‘DISCIPLINE’.