Pakistan Cricket doesn’t need more mockery. It needs mentors.
There is a growing problem in Pakistan cricket that goes beyond poor performances, selection controversies or captaincy changes. It is the way some former cricketers choose to talk about the players who are currently carrying the burden of representing Pakistan.
Criticism is part of cricket. Former players have every right to question performances, tactics, captaincy and selection decisions. In fact, their experience makes their criticism valuable. But there is a difference between constructive criticism and publicly humiliating a player.
And unfortunately, Pakistani cricket has seen too many examples where criticism turns into ridicule.
One example that stands out is former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram’s criticism of Babar Azam. During the England Test series, when Babar was asked about the sudden changes in Pakistan’s coaching staff, his response was that he had no idea about the matter. Akram responded with the Punjabi remark, “Tu yahan pe kya chole bechne aaya hai?”, essentially questioning what Babar was doing there if he had no idea.
The issue is not whether Babar’s answer deserved criticism. Perhaps it did. A captain can and should be questioned about his understanding of what is happening within his team. But does a legendary former captain really need to turn that criticism into a joke at the current captain’s expense?
That is where the problem begins.
Babar was not sitting in a comedy show. He was representing Pakistan cricket during an international Test series. He was dealing with questions about decisions apparently made by the management and board. If a former great believes the captain should have known more, why not explain what he should have known, how he should have handled the question and how a captain can maintain better communication with the team management?
That would actually help.
This is precisely what former cricketers should be doing. They have already played the game, experienced pressure, made mistakes and learned from them. Their biggest contribution after retirement should not simply be telling everyone how badly the current generation is playing. Their contribution should be helping the next generation avoid the mistakes they themselves once made.
Look at the example of India’s Yuvraj Singh and Abhishek Sharma. Yuvraj has been involved in Abhishek’s development for years, working with him not merely by praising him but by helping him improve technically and mentally. Abhishek himself has spoken about Yuvraj’s guidance and how it changed his belief and approach to the game.
That is what mentorship looks like.
A former player does not have to agree with everything a young cricketer does. In fact, a mentor should be brutally honest. But there is a constructive way of being brutally honest. You can tell a batter that his technique is flawed. You can tell a bowler that his run-up needs work. You can tell a captain that his tactical decision was poor.
But there is no need to turn every mistake into entertainment.
This is particularly important in Pakistan because former cricketers possess enormous influence. When someone like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Mohammad Hafeez or Shoaib Akhtar speaks about a current player, millions listen. Their words don’t simply disappear after the programme ends. They become headlines, social-media clips and dressing-room talking points.
Punjabi humour and slang can obviously be part of casual conversation. There is nothing wrong with humour itself. The problem arises when that humour is directed at humiliating an active international cricketer, particularly when the person making the joke is someone whose experience could instead be used to educate him.
And this is where Pakistan needs to rethink the role of its former stars.
If Babar is making a mistake, explain the mistake.
If Shaheen is losing pace, explain how he can regain it.
If a young batter is technically weak, work with him.
If a captain is making tactical errors, show him what better decision-making looks like.
If a youngster is struggling with pressure, tell him how you dealt with pressure when you were playing.
Don’t just sit in a studio and turn his mistakes into a punchline.
Pakistan does not lack former greats. It lacks a sustainable culture of transferring their knowledge to the next generation.
The irony is that many of the players now being criticised will eventually become Pakistan’s senior cricketers themselves. If today’s generation is taught that the best way to deal with a struggling teammate is to ridicule him publicly, then tomorrow’s generation will inherit exactly the same culture.
Former cricketers should be the bridge between Pakistan’s past and its future.
They have already achieved what today’s players are trying to achieve. They know what international pressure feels like. They know what failure feels like. They know how criticism affects a player. And they know the difference between advice that makes a player better and words that simply make good television.
Pakistan cricket does not need former players to protect current players from accountability. It needs them to make accountability productive.
There is a place for criticism.
There is a place for tough questions.
There is even a place for humour.
But when former stars have the opportunity to mentor the players representing Pakistan, the bigger question is simple:
Are we trying to make our current cricketers better, or are we simply enjoying watching them fail?
That is the culture Pakistan cricket needs to change.
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