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It is quite odd that Pakistan cricket always finds itself mired in one controversy or another. Sometimes it becomes really difficult to analyse where the problem lies. Some blame it on the ill-framed, department-based domestic cricket structure, and some put it down to the adhocism that exists at the management level in the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Both reasons could be worth mulling over and both could not be that big a deal to handle. There are certain basic things that first need to be looked into.
The structure in which Pakistani cricketers partake and prove their mettle hasn’t changed for quite some time. Even if it’s undergone alterations (regional teams for T20 events etc) there hasn’t been any marked improvement or depreciation witnessed. Things generally have been the same. Amidst the ruckus caused by the Pakistani cricket team qualifying for the World Cup semifinal, then Shahid Afridi’s perturbed state of mind resulting in his retirement followed by the PCB’s action against him (and eventual truce), there are some serious issues that have taken a back seat. One such matter has to do with ‘talent’, the focus of this write-up.
Has anyone ever thought who was the last truly (the emphasis is on the word truly) world class batsman that Pakistan produced? Without thinking twice it has to be Yousuf Yohanna who later became Mohammad Yousuf. He made his debut in the latter half of the 1990s. Some would throw up Younis Khan’s name here. Compared to Yousuf, Younis cannot be lumped with the likes of the Pontings, the Kallisis and the Dravids. So it’s been two decades since Pakistan showcased a really world class batter. Isn’t it a cause for concern?
The domestic setup was the same when Hanif Mohammad burst onto the cricketing scene. No different was it when Majid Khan joined the Pakistani squad. With Javed Miandad, the environment was quite identical. Even Saleem Malik was a product of the U-19 setup. All of them belong to different eras of Pakistan cricket. But since the ’90s, the country hasn’t boasted of a single batsman that has the ‘wow’ factor.
Let’s come to the bowling department now. Not many realise that Shoaib Akhtar’s disappearance from the international arena has created a huge weakness in Pakistan’s bowling side. In cricket, especially in its modern-day version, pace is of vital importance. In the words of pugilist Mike Tyson, “speed kills”. Imran Khan (not the politician, mind you) inspired Pakistan’s youth to pick up the red cherry and bowl as quick as they could. After him we saw the arrival of the two great Ws (Wasim Akram and Waqar Younus), Aquib Jawed, Mohammad Zahid, Mohammad Akram, Mohsin Kamal, Ataur Rehman and Shoaib Akhtar. They were all 140plus bowlers. In fact at their prime some of them comfortably touched the 150kmph mark. Speed instills fear in the opposition. It softens them up. Speedsters take wickets in style, and even if they don’t do that, they make their fellow-bowlers’ job easy.
The point is Pakistan hasn’t seen a genuine fast bowler in recent times. Medium pacers, no matter how good, don’t usually have the ability to bedazzle the batsmen of the opponent team. It doesn’t mean that the likes of Umar Gul and Wahab Riaz aren’t worth it. They’re quality bowlers, but imagine for a moment someone with 150 plus speed spearheading Gul and Riaz. That would be some sight, both for cricket lovers and the rest of the cricketing world in a different way.
It’s time the authorities concerned did some serious talent-hunting.