Imran Khan disheartened by Pakistan's cricket decline

Pakistan's jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan is upset with the performance of his country's cricket team in the ongoing Champions Trophy, according to his sister Aleema Khan.

Hosts Pakistan became the first team to exit the eight-team Champions Trophy after big losses to New Zealand in Karachi and India in Dubai.

"The PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) founder expressed great sadness over losing the match against India," Aleema told the media outside Adiala Jail Rawalpindi after meeting Imran.

Aleema said that the charismatic former cricketer, who led Pakistan to the 1992 World Cup title, also questioned the cricketing credentials of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi.

"Imran said cricket will be eventually destroyed when favourites are put in decision-making positions," said Aleema, adding that the cricketer-turned-politician watched the match between the arch-foes.

Ex-PCB chairman Najam Sethi has indirectly blamed former Prime Minister Imran Khan for triggering the downslide of Pakistan cricket. In a post on X, Sethi whose last PCB stint was from December 2022 to June 2023, said the nation is justifiably angry at the performance of the national team. Champions Trophy hosts Pakistan are out of the tournament after back to back defeats.

“The cricket fraternity says Pakistan has hit rock bottom. How come a cricket team that was once no 1 in T20s (2018) and Tests (2016) and ODIs (1990 and 1996), which won the WC in 1992 and CT in 2017, is today equated with Zimbabwe?” According to Sethi, the downfall started in 2019 when a new management under a new PM/Patron (Imran Khan was prime minister at that time and had brought in Ehsan Mani as PCB chairman) changed the domestic cricket structure that had served Pakistan reasonably well for decades and replaced it with an ill-suited Australian hybrid model.

“Political interference continued; contradictory PCB policies became the norm— foreign coaches were hired and sent packing, selectors were whimsically nominated, old discards were recruited to mentor and manage.

"Finally, player power, clash of captain egos and groupings in the team came to prevail over fumbling management! The horrible result is before us,” Sethi wrote.

He said Pakistan can certainly restore its cricket fortunes if everyone recognises the nature of the problems and marshals the integrity, experience, knowledge and professionalism required to do the job.

Soon after Imran became PM, Sethi resigned from the PCB.

This paved the way for the appointment of Ehsan Mani, a former ICC president.

In 2019, the PCB on the directions of Imran revamped the domestic cricket structure ending the old system of 16-18 departmental and regional association sides competing in domestic cricket events and a six team first class structure was introduced.

Imran later also appointed Ramiz Raja as chairman in 2021 when Mani excused himself from accepting an extension of his contract. Ramiz was replaced in December 2022 after the fall of the Imran Khan government by Sethi.