Crisis Cricket

Ladies and Gentlemen, if I may have your attention, please.
Cricket is in danger, I repeat cricket is in danger!

Zimbabwe Cricket has been banned by the International Cricket Council on grounds of their government interfering with their cricket board. While, the quality of cricket Zimbabwe brought to the international level did not match the standard, this is a loss to the gentlemen's game. It has been over a hundred years, yet cricket has not grown as a major global sports in terms of the countries that play the game, now we've lost another country that won't be playing the sport. 

One of the few reasons that cricket is in crisis right now is not because of the quality of the game but because of administrative failures and monopoly imposed by key stakeholders. The two mentioned points require a detail analysis and a lot of self reflection and self correction, if we are to achieve the goal of making cricket a global sport in ten years time right now. Though, before that, we have another crisis about to hit us.

Cricket is losing on quality from multiple nations and the gap between the best teams is far extending. West Indies, Sri Lanka and Pakistan are in a state of crisis and this directly affects cricket. The current world cup, irrespective how exciting it was, was a show of proof. The top four teams were largely predictable before the start of the world cup and had it not been for rain, it would have remained predictable as well. That is not what the game deserves, neither is that what the fans deserve.

West Indies cricket has taken a dive since the past couple of years, but they are getting back on their feet. The gap is still very wide and the issues at the core remain in large, unresolved. The encouraging aspect is that, they have established a core squad and will continue to revolve around those players till the T20 world cup that is to be held later next year. The West Indies Cricket Board and players will have to create new relationships and strong policy will have to be implemented if they are to create an impact on the world stage in the long run. The question is, will they be able to do this or will short term victories hijack the road to recovery? Unfortunately, the past two decades of West Indies cricket don't give cricket and the fan's much comfort. 

Sri Lanka, on the other hand are in free fall. Losing on key players due to retirement has exposed their domestic structure. There is no quality present at the moment and with the board politically handled, it is hard to see how they can get back to glory days. The squad that played in the world cup displayed glimpses of excellence at times, but they are still lacking. They've reshuffled and reordered, chopped and changed. What Sri Lanka needs to do now is focus on their domestic cricket and allow the international team the comfort of time. When the foundations of a cricket team are weak, especially at international level, the first thing that has to be ensured on the road to recovery is security. The group of boys representing team Sri Lanka need to assured of their place. You can not have individuals playing for their place in the team, when the team has hit rocked bottom and expect positive results. This will be a painful process, but with patience, it will bear fruits. Sri Lanka need this and so does world cricket. 

Pakistan brings in a flare different to world cricket than any nation. A competitive Pakistan makes the game twice as good as it already is. Unfortunately, Pakistan has been in a rebuilding process since 2015. Stability is missing from its core and there is no sense of direction. Much has been said about Pakistan's domestic structure and the quality it produces, but the time has come to put those words in action. Pakistan's record in the previous two years shows how far they are lacking behind, but unfortunately, the unpredictability manages a few great wins and everyone forgets the underlying problems. The recent exist in the world cup would lead to chop and changes, but that's exactly what Pakistan has been doing this the past twenty years! It is time for stability in their international team, except a few unavoidable changes and direct all the focus on their domestic cricket. The idea of a six team domestic structure is a good one, but only if it is implemented in the best possible way. Pakistan, will have to invest in their domestic structure and improve the image of cricket, domestically, if they are to have any chance of being contenders for the next world cup. Changes at the international level will break current process that has been brought in place by the current captain and manager. Adjust policy at the international level and revamp at the domestic level, not vice versa.

World Cricket needs these three teams at their level best, because without these three and no other teams to replace them, world cricket will be at a severe loss.