For decades, Pakistan survived on raw talent, divine chaos and the occasional act of genius. In 2026, in the age of uber-professionalisation, that is no longer sufficient.
I am an Indian in Mumbai but have always been fascinated by the mercurial brilliance and dismal lows of Pakistani cricket . There were few better sights in cricket than watching the sheer languid ease of Zaheer Abbas , the one day magical genius of Saeed Anwar or the mastery of reverse swing of Waqar and Wasim . Not to forget the majestic batting of Majid , the cheeky ubullience of Asif Iqbal , the fearless hitting of Wasim Raja , Javed’s ability to compete with and conquer the world’s best bowlers with his uniquely gifted batsmanship . And of course the all round magnificence and superb captaincy of Imran !
When I first watched Babar on TV playing for Pakistan in the UAE , I thought this guy is every bit as good as any great batsman in the world .
But such is the nature of the travails one is subjected to in the Pakistani cricket environment that it came as no surprise that his batting literally fell off a cliff at a relatively young age of 27 or 28 !
Pakistan cricket in the 21st century has produced cricketing diamonds but the chaotic toxicity of its environment turns them into spent charcoal very quickly .
The last paragraph sums it up perfectly. There’s so much talent still, but the powers-that-be in Pakistan are undermining their own team. Babar is the embodiment of their issues, sadly.
As an aside, world cricket is currently missing some mercurial talents like Wasim, Waqar, Saqlain and Shoaib. Just incredibly fun players to watch.
As a 24 yr in old in 1981 , studying and working as a Chartered Accountancy articled clerk in England I went to watch Gloucestershire v the Aussie tourists in Bristol one evening . Zaheer stroked Rod Hogg for 3 beautiful consecutive boundaries through the covers .. and that is the image of Pakistani cricket at its best that will never leave my mind .
It is just shameful that India and Pakistan haven’t met in a test series for almost 20 years .
That would be amazing for the Test game. It used to feel like an epic contest between great Indian batters and great Pakistani bowlers. Sadly, it’s become a one-sided rivalry in the white-ball game in the last decade.
I am an Indian in Mumbai but have always been fascinated by the mercurial brilliance and dismal lows of Pakistani cricket . There were few better sights in cricket than watching the sheer languid ease of Zaheer Abbas , the one day magical genius of Saeed Anwar or the mastery of reverse swing of Waqar and Wasim . Not to forget the majestic batting of Majid , the cheeky ubullience of Asif Iqbal , the fearless hitting of Wasim Raja , Javed’s ability to compete with and conquer the world’s best bowlers with his uniquely gifted batsmanship . And of course the all round magnificence and superb captaincy of Imran !
When I first watched Babar on TV playing for Pakistan in the UAE , I thought this guy is every bit as good as any great batsman in the world .
But such is the nature of the travails one is subjected to in the Pakistani cricket environment that it came as no surprise that his batting literally fell off a cliff at a relatively young age of 27 or 28 !
Pakistan cricket in the 21st century has produced cricketing diamonds but the chaotic toxicity of its environment turns them into spent charcoal very quickly .
The last paragraph sums it up perfectly. There’s so much talent still, but the powers-that-be in Pakistan are undermining their own team. Babar is the embodiment of their issues, sadly.
As an aside, world cricket is currently missing some mercurial talents like Wasim, Waqar, Saqlain and Shoaib. Just incredibly fun players to watch.
As a 24 yr in old in 1981 , studying and working as a Chartered Accountancy articled clerk in England I went to watch Gloucestershire v the Aussie tourists in Bristol one evening . Zaheer stroked Rod Hogg for 3 beautiful consecutive boundaries through the covers .. and that is the image of Pakistani cricket at its best that will never leave my mind .
It is just shameful that India and Pakistan haven’t met in a test series for almost 20 years .
That would be amazing for the Test game. It used to feel like an epic contest between great Indian batters and great Pakistani bowlers. Sadly, it’s become a one-sided rivalry in the white-ball game in the last decade.