Pakistan Cricket’s Selection Mess Exposed

Pakistan Cricket’s Selection Mess: Why Fakhar Zaman and Faheem Ashraf Don’t Belong in the XI

Pakistan cricket is stuck in a cycle of poor selections, unclear roles, and political favouritism. The continued inclusion of Fakhar Zaman and Faheem Ashraf in the playing XI perfectly sums up the problem.

Fakhar Zaman – Hit or Miss, Mostly Miss

Fakhar Zaman is the definition of inconsistency. For every one good knock, he fails in nine. T20 cricket demands consistency and clarity of role, not random bursts of runs once in a blue moon. His time as a regular starter should have been questioned long ago.

Faheem Ashraf – A Political Parchi

Faheem Ashraf has no clear role. He isn’t a reliable finisher with the bat, nor an impact bowler. Comparing him to India’s Hardik Pandya is a joke. Pandya is a proven allrounder; Faheem is nowhere near that standard. His presence in the XI creates imbalance instead of solving problems.

Lack of Clarity in Team Selection

India have clear role definitions – Jasprit Bumrah as a specialist pacer, Hardik Pandya as a batting allrounder. Pakistan? Confusion. Wasim Jr, Khushdil Shah, and Hussain Talat travelled with the squad but didn’t play a single Tri-Series match. Why take them if you won’t use them?

The Bigger Problems – Dot Balls & Clueless Batting

Pakistan’s openers are failing to provide a solid platform, while the middle order struggles to rotate strike or build partnerships. In the latest clash vs India in the AsiaCup2025 played on 14th September in Dubai, Pakistan wasted 63 dot balls restricted themselves to 127 runs in 20 overs which India went on to win easily by 7 wickets 25 balls earlier. That’s lack of game awareness – it’s not what modern Cricket requires. 

Modern Cricket vs Pakistan’s Approach

Modern T20 cricket isn’t about reckless slogging. Look at India’s Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, or England’s Phil Salt, Harry Brook, and Jos Buttler – they play with intent and intelligence. England even smashed 304 against South Africa in a T20I at Manchester. Pakistan, meanwhile, continue to struggle with basics.

The Root Cause – Weak Domestic Structure

Pakistan’s PSL-first approach has damaged player development. Without a strong domestic and first-class system, you cannot produce world-class cricketers. Other big nations have robust structures; Pakistan doesn’t.

The Way Forward – Meritocracy & Accountability

For years, I’ve highlighted the decline of Pakistan cricket on my channel. The issues are well known, but solutions require sincerity, accountability, and above all, meritocracy. If politics in selection continues, improvement will remain a dream.

Final Word

Fixing Pakistan cricket is not rocket science. But unless performance is valued over connections, Pakistan will keep slipping further down the ranks. The PCB must act now — or accept mediocrity as the new normal. 🚨

Sitarah Anjum is a British Politician and Cricket Analyst 

Banning Pakistan’s Youtubers, News Channels or Instagram will achieve Nothing

The Truth Can’t Be Silenced: A Call for Dialogue, Not Division

It’s both disturbing and disappointing to witness how information, communication, and freedom of expression are being crushed across the border in India. The recent ban on Pakistani YouTubers, Instagram, Twitter accounts, News channels and other digital platforms speaks volumes—not of strength, but of fear. Fear of the truth. Fear of allowing people to hear the other side of the story. 

What purpose does it serve? Absolutely none. Except to highlight the increasing insecurity among those in power, terrified of people hearing facts that don't fit a preferred narrative.

Let’s be real—banning voices doesn’t erase facts. It only reveals how desperate some authorities are to control the narrative. If India truly believed in democracy, openness, and dialogue, why silence those who simply want to share a different perspective?

This digital crackdown also extends to PSLX, Pakistani cricketers, analysts, and cricket bloggers as well as Pakistani javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem, who have absolutely nothing to do with any political or cross-border tensions. These individuals are passionate professionals working to promote cricket and other sports — a game that has long been a bridge between people, not a wedge. Banning them from Indian platforms is not just a blow to freedom of expression, but a direct insult to the spirit of sportsmanship and mutual love for the game.

What exactly are they afraid of?

Is it the possibility that people might see through the media’s agenda? Or that they might start asking tough questions about what's really happening in places like Pahalgam?

Rather than blaming Pakistan in every crisis, isn’t it time the Indian government provided clear, credible evidence—if any exists at all? The world deserves facts, not fabricated stories fueled by political ambitions or the Indian media's propaganda.

Indian media, sadly, has become a tool of biased propaganda, pushing misinformation, stoking hatred, and fuelling division — all in the name of nationalism. In this dangerous environment, honest voices are drowned out, and any attempt to present the other side is vilified.

Spreading hate, suppressing truth, and deepening divisions might benefit a handful of war-hungry power players. But for the millions of ordinary people—on both sides of the border—it only brings more pain, more loss, and more fear.

What we need is not censorship, but conversation. Not bans, but bridges.

This is no longer just about censorship. The people of India and Pakistan are not enemies. They share history, culture,  love for art and music, and yes, cricket!  We want peace, progress, and prosperity. But we must rise above political narratives and media-fuelled hate to achieve that. We must demand transparency, accountability, and above all, truth.

It’s about suppressing the fundamental human right to speak, to listen, to know and freedom of expression.  It's time we stopped allowing political agendas to hijack the voice of the people.

To those seeking the truth: keep asking questions. Keep challenging bias. Keep the flame of peace alive in a world that desperately needs it.

 #PakistanCricket #IndianCricket #IndvsPak #BCCI #IndiaPakistan #Cricket #FreedsomofExpressions #PahalgamAttack #TruthMatters #PSLX

Sitarah Anjum is a British Pakistani Cricket Analyst

Pakistan’s T20 Humiliation: Clueless Batting & Bowling Exposed Again

Pakistan’s T20 Disaster in Wellington: A Clueless Team Exposed Once Again!

Another T20 match, another embarrassment. Pakistan’s batting lineup once again crumbled under pressure, showing a complete lack of technique, skill, and game awareness. Playing on a bouncy and seaming wicket, they looked utterly lost—no footwork, no shot selection, and no intent to counter the conditions.

The only saving grace in this batting horror show was Salman Ali Agha, who fought hard for his 51 off 39 balls, while Shadab Khan chipped in with 28 off 20 before being wrongly given out on a no-ball. A poor umpiring decision, but should Shadab have reviewed it? With DRS available, the lack of awareness sums up the sorry state of Pakistan cricket.

New Zealand’s Ruthless Domination

Pakistan’s total of 128/9 was never going to trouble a side like New Zealand, and they made a complete mockery of the chase, knocking off the runs in just 10 overs with 8 wickets in hand. Tim Seifert was unstoppable yet again, smashing a brutal 97 off 38 balls at a staggering strike rate of 255. Pakistan’s bowlers had no clue how to stop him, allowing him to toy with them at will.

Bowling Carnage: No Plan, No Control

If Pakistan’s batting was poor, their bowling was worse—zero discipline, zero strategy, and zero control.

Jahandad Khan was torn apart by Seifert, leaking 43 runs in just 2 overs, including 25 in a single over!

Shadab Khan continued his miserable run, conceding 33 runs in 2 overs without a wicket.

Haris Rauf, who had done well in previous games, also fell apart, giving away 22 in 2 overs.

Mohammad Ali was no better, conceding 27 in his 2 overs.

The only bowler who showed any fight was Sufyan Moqim, returning impressive figures of 2 wickets for just 6 runs in 2 overs.

Jimmy Neesham Adds to Pakistan’s Humiliation

If losing to New Zealand wasn’t embarrassing enough, Pakistan’s batters found a way to make it worse—handing five wickets to Jimmy Neesham! The Kiwi all-rounder ran through Pakistan’s lineup, finishing with 5/22 in just 4 overs. A T20 side crumbling against Neesham, who isn’t even a frontline bowler, is an absolute disgrace. This performance reflects the sheer lack of temperament and adaptability in Pakistan’s batting order.

Pakistan Cricket: Falling Behind the Rest of the World

Pakistan's decline is no longer up for debate—it’s a cold, hard reality. The lack of fitness, skills, game awareness, and temperament is alarming. Their batters are miles behind the modern T20 game, and their pace bowlers have no control under pressure. Compare this to India, who are consistently posting 200+ totals in T20 cricket. Pakistan, on the other hand, barely scrapes past 140 against competitive bowling.

Shadab Khan’s Place in the Squad Under Scrutiny

Shadab Khan’s place in this squad remains a huge question mark. With neither his bowling nor his batting delivering results, why is he still being persisted with? His performances in this series have been nothing short of disastrous.

Pakistan’s Future: Facing the Reality Check

With this abysmal performance, Pakistan is staring at a humiliating future. If things don’t improve fast, they might even find themselves playing qualifying rounds for ICC tournaments. The writing is on the wall—sort out the mess or face international irrelevance.

#NZvsPak #PakistanCricket #T20Cricket #PCB 

Sitarah Anjum is a British Pakistani Cricket Analyst