Pakistan suffered a humiliating defeat in the ICC Champions Trophy as they were knocked out of the tournament from the group stage after losing to New Zealand and India. It wasn't a new territory for Pakistan to be in as they suffered the same fate in the T20 World Cup 2024 and the 2023 ODI World Cup.
The PCBs have a very rigid working hierarchy, and they often make bizarre calls if results don't go their way. They hired two top coaches - Gary Kirsten for white ball cricket and Jason Gillespie for Tests before the T20 World Cup- but parted ways with them prematurely. Kirsten resigned after the T20 World Cup as the coaches were barred from having a say in squad selections. Gillespie took over as all-format coach for the Australia tour, but he too gave up before the South Africa series.
Recently, Jason Gillespie slammed PCB and called Aaqib Javed, who took over as Pakistan coach, a 'clow. '. Mickey Arthur, who served as Pakistan's coach between 2016 and 2019, sided with Gillespie and said that Pakistan cricket has so much potential, but they continue to shoot themselves ot in the foot.
"I love this quote, to be brutally honest. Jason Gillespie is a wonderful coach and a wonderful man. Pakistan Cricket just continues to shoot itself in the foot. It is its worst enemy. There are so many good players; they’ve got the resources now; there's so much young talent. They have incredible skills. And yeah, it's still so chaotic. It's disappointing to see. I thought when they signed Gillespie and Kirsten, they had gone down exactly the right route, and they had got some really good players. Because ultimately it’s the players that lose out," Arthur told talkSport.
Arthur said Pakistan cricket is driven by agendas, which is the root cause of the team's steady decline.
"They had some really good coaches who could take them forward. But then that machine that works in Pakistan just keeps undermining agendas that are driven in the media. It's a jungle out there, and I feel desperately sorry for Gary and Jason. There's no doubt in my mind that they were undermined because it’s to the detriment of the players and ultimately to the detriment of Pakistan cricket," added Arthur.