I gotta mention tho - Shoaib Akhtar in that very video claimed that 'Andy Flower was taking over', now, I wouldn't give any sort of importance to whatever the guy says, BUT when everyone was reporting his name for the post of Chief Selector when that was vacant, he was the only one who said 'Mohammad Wasim has already got the job' and that was an entire TWO MONTHS before it was officially announced.
Do you reckon he's right about Misbah getting sacked regardless of how Pakistan performs in their home series against South Africa? I personally wouldn't say it's unrealistic, but not barring the result, I think if Pakistan gets beaten (which is highly likely), then I'm almost certain they'll sack Misbah. But not if we win.
This is going to be a lengthy post.
On Akhtar, your media is clearly extremely powerful. It literally dictates the teams that play. Whether that is the social, print, television or electronic it is immaterial. When this happens, literally no establishment can function peacefully. Akhtar calling things two months prior is a credit to the sources he has, not him. It does not validate cricketing decisions. The worrying thing is the fact that he has a following and he has the power to influence people with his own mindset which is quite honestly an absolute disgrace. He, along with Younis Khan have openly lobbied for jobs and one ended up getting it while the other nearly did before he put the shoe in his own mouth. I think that is a very very worrying sign for fans of the Pakistan team.
I'll list down some of my sentiments about Pakistan cricket and I don't care if some chap thinks otherwise because I don't need to prove my 'fanboyism' for Pakistan cricket. I see a lot of people recently tow the line of "care for Asian cricket" but I am not one of those. I have never liked Sri Lanka or Bangladesh and I actually dislike the latter. I love Afghanistan cricket and I am such an enormous Wasim Akram & Imran Khan fan that I could literally wear that green jersey on any day Pakistan would not play India.
First and foremost, the sentiment in your country needs to change. The coach cannot do
jack. He/She cannot bat/bowl/field. The coach can only support the captain and guide him when he thinks he's being impetuous with his experience and knowledge. If the captain still feels he's correct then I don't care if Bradman/Tendulkar are your coach but he needs to keep quiet and let the captain do his thing. How many captains do you empower? How many test captains have you had in the last twenty years? You compare that to the power houses in world cricket and the number will be shameful. It's not just about the number, it's also about the tenures. I can guarantee you Azhar Ali would not have been treated the way he has been treated in Pakistan by any of the top ten cricket playing countries. It's beyond a joke. Look at how powerful the India captain is. OK, we have gone in completely the opposite direction but there is at least stable madness? I'm not saying India have cracked it, far from it but it's better. There's a reason I wanted Moody appointed before Kumble because in our culture, we have a habit of looking at our elders with rebellion when they enter our territory. The respect only exists as long as the borders are respected.
Secondly, let's say you win the SA series. What then? You'll lose another series and we have the same bells and whistles being blown again? May be, Andy Flower will bring more professionalism than Misbah (pure speculation) but Mickey Arthur while regimented was not some circus clown. The bloke is a serious coach. Were you guys happy then? Every loss he was dragged through the mud and there are at least 5-6 players now that were prepared under his wing that would walk into any franchise or team in the world. You cannot have such short term vision. It just doesn't work. When you have the kind of 'blame culture' that exists in the cricketing system in Pakistan, the rut is endless. You will win ICC tournaments once in a while. You will be the test side to beat once in a while. But, you will not be consistent and the world will always call it a flash in the pan because there is no consistency. Look at the side Imran Khan left for Pakistan in 1992. You guys were the jewel in the crown for a decade because he defied the system. Had that team been disciplined and well managed, I think Australia would have won fewer World Cups and that undefeated streak of test wins would probably have lied with you guys.
Lastly, and I say this in a more general sense that too much power in any one person's hands is a recipe for disaster. In our case, it is our captain and in your case it is some sort of media. I can assure you that India will probably adopt a split captaincy system after this Kohli nonsense or choose a captain very wisely with iron clad contract clauses. We learn from our BS. In your case, it's all well and good to talk a lot of smack on TV when you're not accountable for nothing but the whole world knows that Pakistan will be worse off if these clowns get the job. Respect your cricketers. The problem in Pakistan is, cricketers don't respect cricketers. What you need is perhaps an Andy Flower with a contract so powerful that even if the PCB wants, they can't fire him for five years. As simple as that. What your country needs even more is for Babar Azam to command the sort of power a Virat Kohli commands. It won't be good when you get there, but it's better than this absolute mess. Your future is with the captain, not the coach. The reason I am all for that coach is because he will entrust a discipline when ever it meanders among anyone that becomes a star. It's a myth that stars need to be managed/pampered. Team ethos > anything else. India is suffering because of this exact issue. To finish, the Indian media doesn't have the kahunas to insult any player directly. They at the most pass hints but they know that if they fall out of line, the BCCI will simply cut them off the pie and they can't care less to offer THAT media house or the public any explanations. It's extreme, but Pakistan needs it.
And, if you don't believe me that the power of the media can manipulate our mental being let alone our opinions, you can see what is happening currently across the globe. Cricket is just a very small aspect.
