Much has been said about the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and how the constant chopping and changing has resulted in the poor performances of the men's team of late. However, the players cannot be given a free pass, considering some seniors have been playing international cricket for five to six years, yet consistency eludes them. Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers echoed the same sentiment, slamming the Babar Azam-led side for not showing guts and fight on the tour of England, where Pakistan were battered left, right and centre in the first two Tests.
The defeats in the opening two Tests at Headingley and Lord's also led the PCB to send seven players home and replace them with younger players for the third and final match in Birmingham. Even Test coach Sarfaraz Ahmed was replaced by white-ball coach Mike Hesson.
The first Test ended in three days, while the second one went to the fourth only because of rain. In four innings, Pakistan failed to breach the 200-run mark even once, and it was no surprise to see de Villiers calling out the players for not meeting expectations.
Deep Dive
What specific issues did AB de Villiers identify in the current Pakistan cricket team?
Why did the Pakistan Cricket Board decide to send seven players home after the Test losses in England?
How has instability within the PCB impacted the performance of the Pakistan cricket team?
“I don't often currently see a lot of Pakistan players individually being prepared to put in those extra hard yards. Especially with the batting unit. Not enough, what's the word, guts. Fight. It doesn't always have to be pretty. Lots of soft wickets, and that's what it comes down to. It's a decision that you make,” de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
{{/usCountry}}“I don't often currently see a lot of Pakistan players individually being prepared to put in those extra hard yards. Especially with the batting unit. Not enough, what's the word, guts. Fight. It doesn't always have to be pretty. Lots of soft wickets, and that's what it comes down to. It's a decision that you make,” de Villiers said on his YouTube channel.
{{/usCountry}}“It's sometimes ugly and terribly difficult to watch. If I played for my ego, I probably would have been a different player. It was always about how much character I could show out here today. It always felt like a threat to my character from the opposition. That's the way I decided to play the situation,” he added.
‘No character’
Mr. 360 added that the current Pakistan team lacks “character,” and players just aren't able to step up when the going gets tougher in the middle.
“I always felt that Test cricket was a test of your character. That's maybe what Pakistan is lacking at the moment. A bit of character, a bit of fight. An individual leadership group of four or five players who decide together, you know what, let's be the leaders here and show the guys,” said the former Proteas skipper.
“Let's be the example. Show the youngsters what it takes to win Test matches, ODIs, or T20S. Maybe that is the area they're lacking in,” he added.
However, de Villiers was quick to pinpoint how instability within the PCB has contributed to the downfall of Pakistan cricket. In the last few years, the Pakistan board has changed multiple coaches and captains. The likes of Jason Gillespie and Gary Kirsten opted to go away after allegedly being sidelined by the selection committee headed by Aaqib Javed.
“Also, a bit of mismanagement from the top. Lots of chopping and changing. Lots of changes in leadership. Babar is back now. So hopefully he gets an extended run, stays fit, and starts scoring runs again like we all know he can. And for his fellow teammates to start following that lead,” said de Villiers.
“So that's my long and short on Pakistan cricket. Hopefully they'll make their way back to the form and to the team that we know they can be in all formats of the game,” he concluded.