Pakistani fast bowlers are a phenomenon. The land is a paradise of fast bowling. Over the years, we have seen many amazing fast bowlers. Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and Shoaib Akhtar can be said to be the best of the lot. But off late we haven’t seen many amazing or out-of-the-box fast bowlers. Shaheen Shah Afridi is a decent player he is better they all of the other left-arm pacers across the globe. But does he have the caliber of Wasim-Waqar? So, why has it happened?
Lack of Inspiration:
Lack of inspiration is one of the biggest reasons why Pakistani fast bowling is on the decline. We have seen Wasim and Waqar getting inspired by Imran Khan. Imran Khan groomed these pacers before leaving the international circuit. Wasim and Waqar groomed players like Asif, Amir, and Shoaib before leaving.
But did Asif and Amir carry on the legacy? I’m not talking about their unfortunate incident in England. Every player makes mistakes and they did that as well. But they should have at least been keen on giving their skills to younger pacers. Maybe make academies in the local areas of Pakistan.
Lack of Scouting has Cost Pakistani Fast Bowlers:
Earlier, the Pakistani coaches had an eye for good players. Shoaib Akhtar was picked from the grounds of Rawalpindi. Earlier they had an elite scouting system. Rashid Latif was once in charge of the academy which worked on grooming these young pacers. The MRF Pace Foundation also needs to have a vast expanse in the small towns of Pakistan. The MRF organization is a Chennai-based organization. India and Pakistan have their differences but for the growth of the sport, they need to keep these differences aside.
Injury management has Costs Pakistani Fast Bowlers:
In India, the NCA has introduced strong plans for the rehabilitation of injured players. The NCA has worked especially on injury-prone players like Hardik Pandya and Deepak Chahar. A similar structure can be introduced by the PCB. The PCB management is working on such a world-class system or world-class academy under the supervision of Ramiz Raja. Hasan Ali, Mohammad Irfan, and Mohammad Abbas are players who could have had longer careers if their injuries could be managed.
During the World Cup of 2003, Shoaib Akhtar was having pain in his knees. The Pakistani physio during those days made sure that Shoaib plays the game against India in full bloom. These are characters whose contributions go unnoticed. Such characters, help in making legends.
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