Pakistan Cricket: Where is the Talent?

The poor show of Pakistani batsmen in Champions Trophy has raised some serious questions about the so-called talent, as we always claim to have, in Pakistan.

Besides Nasir Jamshed and skipper Misbah ul Haq, it seems Pakistan was served by the worst ever batting which was badly exposed in conditions unsuitable for them.
Imran Farhat, Shoaib Malik and Kamran Akmal were the other batsmen on which Pakistan’s campaign was relying and the trio miserably failed to perform. In fact, I really don’t remember the last time when they did win a match for the country.
It wasn’t actually surprising to see batsmen struggling in conditions outside Asia but it was, indeed, frustrating to see them surrendering like school children and throwing away wickets.
Even Misbah ul Haq couldn’t resist his frustration on the failure of Pakistani batsmen.
“You definitely need to think about this after the tournament once the series is over. But I think at the moment, nobody is justifying their places in the team and nobody is getting runs for Pakistan,” Misbah said following Pakistan’s defeat to South Africa.
With all three in their 30s, and seems-the-only man in crisis Misbah ul Haq is inching towards 40, there is a serious question about future of Pakistan’s batting line.
Are we lacking talent at home? “No” will be the answer if the question was put to the people sitting in power corridors of Pakistan Cricket Board.
As PCB and selectors have always claimed that Pakistan has got enough talent, one would ask where is that talent hiding? Why are they not picked for Pakistan Cricket team? When are we going to get rid of the old horses?
If players like Hammad Azam, Sharjeel Khan, Muhammad Rizwan, Ahmed Shahzad, Akbar ur Rehman, Sohaib Maqsood are not good enough to be selected in the team, and the same tried-and-tested players are considered then, unfortunately, we are heading nowhere.
With no international Cricket at home and not enough tours for Under 19 and “A” Cricket team, Domestic Cricket is the only platform to judge a player’s talent. Although there are serious questions about the level of competition there, but yet, it is the only available parameter.