Imran Khan Blamed For Pakistan Cricket Crisis: 'You've To Listen To The PM' Pakistan cricket is in freefall, and it's been a quick one. Till late 1990s and early 2000s, Pakistan were one of the top teams in the world, but they've lost their spark in the last decade or two. One of the main reasons why Pakistan has struggled so badly is the lack of quality players they've produced over the years. Now compare that to neighbours India, which can easily produce multiple teams for every format and each team can beat the best sides in the world. So what's exactly wrong with Pakistan? Haroon Rasheed, the former chief selector and head coach, feels the issue lies in the broken domestic structure. Haroon, who was a part of the task force set up to study the domestic structure during Imran Khan's tenure as the Prime Minister, pinned the blame for the steep decline in recent times on the 1992 World Cup-winning captain, who reduced the number of domestic teams from 10-16 to just six in 2022. Haroon said that Imran might have meant well for the team, but the decision backfired and is one of the main reasons why Pakistan cricket is struggling. "I was part of the cricket board and task force, and I remember when we met with Imran, we submitted a hybrid domestic cricket model. But he rejected it outright," Haroon said on a podcast on the 'Smash It' sports channel. "How much time do you think a Prime Minister can give? We were ordered to submit a revised domestic cricket plan, and we did that, and it was a hybrid one," Haroon said. “I remember we told Imran that the hybrid model was best for our cricket, as while we had reduced teams to eight, we had kept the participation of departmental teams in domestic cricket,” said Haroon. “But Imran, in his short meeting with us, rejected the hybrid model and said he didn't want eight but a maximum of five to six teams in the domestic structure. We told him it would be better to gradually switch to a new domestic structure, but eventually, you have to listen to the Prime Minister. He might have meant well, but it didn't work out for Pakistan cricket,” he added. India invests heavily in domestic cricket, and the results are evident, with the team now among the best sides in the world. They have 32 teams in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group alone, alongside competitions such as the Duleep Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy, giving players regular opportunities across formats and levels. Pakistan, on the other hand, has repeatedly altered its domestic structure, reduced the number of teams and centralised decision-making with the PCB, limiting opportunities for players and weakening the pipeline for producing quality talent. “People talk about the IPL but forget that in India they still have the Ranji Trophy, Duleep Trophy, Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Vijay Hazare trophy and their state-level associations are independent and have their own regular domestic events at club level,” said Haroon. “In Pakistan, now all powers are with the PCB, which needs to decentralise power and give more independence to regional associations and departments as was the case in the past,” he added. Faham Uddin is a seasoned sports journalist currently working as a Special Correspondent on the sports desk. With over eight years of diverse experien... View More