Azhar Ali: Pakistan Cricket Cannot Change in the Space of a Year
Systemic rot, not one bad tour, at heart of Pakistan’s slide – former Test No.1 stalwart
Azhar Ali, one of the pillars of the Pakistan side that climbed to the top of the ICC Test rankings a decade ago, has delivered a sobering verdict on the current team’s crisis: it cannot be solved quickly. In a direct challenge to the impatient expectations that often surround the national side, Ali argues that the roots of the present decline stretch far deeper than any single series and will require a generational shift to address.
A warning against quick fixes
The former captain and prolific top-order batter, who was a mainstay of the unit that reached the summit of Test cricket in 2016, insists that meaningful change is impossible “in the space of a year”. His comments land at a time when the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and its supporters are grappling with another disappointing overseas tour, but Ali’s diagnosis goes well beyond the immediate results.
“What we are seeing now is not a problem that has appeared overnight,” Ali is understood to have told The Guardian’s Ali Martin. “It is the consequence of years of instability, short-term thinking and a domestic system that does not prepare players for the demands of Test cricket.” The stark assessment, coming from a figure deeply respected for his role in Pakistan’s historic rise, is a pointed reminder that structural repair takes time.
The contrast with the golden era
Pakistan’s ascent to the No.1 Test ranking under Misbah-ul-Haq was built on a rare period of continuity. The side enjoyed a settled core, clear leadership, and a spin-heavy attack perfectly suited to home conditions and neutral venues in the UAE. Azhar Ali was at the heart of that success, scoring heavily and offering the defensive grit that allowed stroke-makers to flourish.
Fast forward to the present, and Pakistan have cycled through captains, coaches, and selection committees with alarming regularity. The domestic structure has been repeatedly overhauled, while first-class pitches have often failed to produce quality fast bowlers or batsmen capable of building long innings under pressure. Ali’s message is that no single tour – no matter how painful – can turn around a system that has been weakened over a decade of mismanagement.
What real change would look like
Ali’s vision of the “change” Pakistan so desperately needs is not about a quick captaincy swap or the sacking of a coach. It encompasses selection stability, where players are given extended runs rather than being discarded after a few low scores. It means a coaching pipeline that nurtures technical and mental skills from the under-19 level upward. Most importantly, it demands a domestic red-ball competition that mirrors the intensity and duration of Test matches, forcing cricketers to learn patience and resilience.
Leadership also features prominently in his critique. The constant churn of captains – from Sarfaraz Ahmed to Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi and beyond – has denied the team the stable on-field direction that was so crucial during the Misbah years. Without that stability, Ali suggests, even the most talented squads will falter.
Woes that transcend one tour
While the immediate focus of fans and pundits remains on the current tour’s defeats, Ali insists that the problems are not tour-specific. Pakistan have been inconsistent in the longest format for several seasons, failing to win a home Test series against top-tier opposition and often collapsing in away conditions when the ball moves. The batting frailties, the lack of penetration from seamers on flat pitches, and the over-reliance on individual brilliance are all symptoms of a deeper institutional weakness.
“You cannot judge everything by one series, but you also cannot ignore the pattern,” Ali’s comments suggest. “Pakistan cricket cannot change in the space of a year. We need a five- or ten-year plan, and we need everyone – board, selectors, media, former players – to buy into that patience.”
His words carry particular weight because they come from someone who experienced both the pinnacle of the sport and the slow erosion that followed. As Pakistan searches for answers, the message is clear: the cure is not a magic wand, but a long, honest rebuilding process.
