Pakistan cricket team lost to New Zealand in ODI and T20I series.© AFP
After suffering the embarrassment of going winless in their first major home tournament since 1996 in the 2025 Champions Trophy, Pakistan were dealt with 4-1 and 3-0 defeats in the T20I and ODI series respectively against New Zealand. Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif, in an exclusive interview with IANS, believes the additional bounce on offer in New Zealand and selection issues were the reason behind their debacle in the bilateral series. “Just after the Champions Trophy, you have your bilateral commitments and then they (Pakistan squad) will go for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) for 38 days. I don’t understand this and they played very badly. The pitches in New Zealand are quite different. The ball used to seam and swing before but it did not bounce earlier, which troubled our batsman. The selection has not been up to the mark as well which has caused problems,” Latif told IANS.
With the PSL set to commence on April 11, Latif drew attention to the ‘lack of supply’ for the Men in Green. He also emphasised the need for stability and instant changes in the circuit citing recent performances in ICC tournaments as a major red flag. The former wicket-keeper batter also spoke on the importance of keeping the top-level players on their toes with new prospective talents ready to fill in their spots.
“It all depends on the lower levels. We are only focusing on the top level, not the domestic circuit which basically cuts off the supply line. First class, PSL and domestic T20s have been down for the past five years. Five PCB chairman have changed in the past four years and the selection committee has caused a lot of instability in the board. We have also lost a lot, the T20 World Cup, Champions Trophy and 2023 ODI World Cup, this is not what Pakistan’s standard was earlier, this is our lowest level cricket-wise.
“We have our big players in Babar, Shaheen, Haris, Rizwan and Fakhar as well. When you only have a few top players and the supply line cuts off then it causes the problem. People compare us to India, they have two players ready to fill every position. From the grassroots to the domestic, all levels need to improve,” he added.
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