Cricket experts call for improved domestic structure to rebuild Pakistan team

KARACHI: Pakistan cricket must rebuild its grassroots and domestic structure to raise the standard of the national team at the international level, according to former and current cricketers, administrators and experts who spoke during Geo News' special panel discussion, Cricket Ka Muqadma, on Sunday.

The programme brought together former captain Mohammad Hafeez, batting great Younis Khan, Test captain Shan Masood, PCB official Aaqib Javed, former PCB president Khalid Mahmood, former chief selector Haroon Rasheed, Fawad Alam and Quetta Gladiators owner Nadeem Omar to discuss the challenges, shortcomings and future direction of Pakistan cricket.

The panel focused on the state of domestic cricket, proposed reforms and the steps required to restore Pakistan's competitiveness across all formats.

Former PCB president Khalid Mahmood emphasised the importance of reviving school and college cricket, insisting that strengthening the game's foundations was essential for improving standards.

He observed that modern players were increasingly focused on earning more money in a shorter period, contrasting them with previous generations of fast bowlers who regularly delivered 30 to 35 overs in an innings and demonstrated far greater endurance.

Former chief selector Haroon Rasheed said grassroots cricket had been neglected and stressed that Pakistan could not improve without strengthening departmental cricket. He also called for significant investment in cricket infrastructure, particularly the quality of pitches across the country.

Younis Khan urged Pakistan to strike the right balance between red-ball and white-ball cricket, recalling a time when the country's domestic system was among the strongest in the world and Pakistan consistently ranked among the top five teams across all formats.

He warned against blindly copying the policies of other cricketing nations, saying Pakistan had drifted away from its own cricketing identity, while noting that every player now aspired to compete in all three formats.

Former Test batter Fawad Alam insisted that selection should be based solely on performance and called for an end to favouritism in Pakistan cricket.

He argued that players who establish themselves in Test cricket should be capable of succeeding in One-Day Internationals and T20 cricket, while questioning whether Pakistan had produced any major cricketer after departmental cricket was discontinued in 2006.

Fawad also criticised the disparity in player payments, claiming that T20 fees continued to rise while first-class cricket remained neglected. He urged selectors to assess players according to the conditions in which they perform and recommended that selectors attend first-class matches regularly.

Quetta Gladiators owner Nadeem Omar said Pakistan must restore its previous domestic cricket structure if it hoped to revive the national team's fortunes.

Former captain Mohammad Hafeez echoed similar sentiments, saying that the stronger Pakistan's red-ball foundation became, the stronger the country's overall cricket would be.

Test captain Shan Masood described Test cricket as the pinnacle of the sport and reiterated the importance of building a strong red-ball culture.

PCB official Aaqib Javed revealed that faster bowlers would emerge over the next four to five months as part of the board's ongoing plans.

Haroon Rasheed reiterated that meaningful progress would only come through greater attention to club and domestic cricket, adding that Pakistan needed a robust grassroots system to ensure sustained success.

Reflecting on his time as a selector, Rasheed recalled facing criticism when he selected Younis Khan for Pakistan's Under-19 side, with some alleging the decision had been influenced by recommendations.

Younis highlighted the importance of role models in developing young cricketers and noted that domestic pitches during the 1980s and 1990s were far from ideal. Despite those conditions, Pakistan still managed to produce world-class fast bowlers.

He also pointed out that many young players now preferred T20 cricket but stressed that maintaining a healthy balance between formats remained essential for the long-term success of Pakistan cricket.

Masood underlined the significance of a strong bowling attack, noting that teams must take 20 wickets to win a Test match.

He stressed the need to produce more high-quality fast bowlers and revealed that player fitness protocols had improved in recent years. However, he expressed concern that Pakistan's bowlers often lost their effectiveness on the third and fourth days of Test matches, while also highlighting the team's recurring problem of conceding valuable runs to opposition tailenders.