Gloom and demands for wholesale changes have engulfed cricket-crazy Pakistan after the hosts crashed out of the Champions Trophy in the group stage, barely a week into celebrating the return of a major tournament.
The titleholders lost their opening game to New Zealand by 60 runs in Karachi on Wednesday, before Sunday’s six-wicket defeat to archrivals India pushed them to the brink of an early exit.
Pakistan needed Bangladesh to beat New Zealand on Monday to keep their slim hopes of a place in the semifinals alive, but the result went the other way.
Thursday’s game with Bangladesh in Rawalpindi has been reduced to a dead-rubber match.
“We have been backing these players for the last few years, but they are not learning nor improving,” former captain Wasim Akram told the AFP news agency.
“It is time for a major shake-up. We need to improve our system of domestic cricket so that we can produce quality cricketers, not ordinary ones.”
A lack of competitiveness in domestic cricket and low-quality pitches have been blamed for not preparing players for the international stage.
The sport in Pakistan is also held back by frequent changes to the cricket board, coaching teams and selection panels, critics say.
Such changes are driven by politics and not merit, according to observers.
“I feel very despondent with the state of Pakistan cricket,” former captain Rashid Latif said.
“We have to follow merit and bring in professionals in the administration of the game and not people on a political basis.
“Frequent changes in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), selection committee and captains have failed us in forming a proper set-up and team.”
The early elimination stings for a country that had relished hosting its first major cricket tournament in 29 years, after significant improvements in security.
Former Pakistan captain and popular all-rounder Shahid Afridi accused Pakistan of playing outdated cricket.
“In 2025 Pakistan was playing the cricket style of the 1980s and 1990s while other teams had progressed well to adopt an aggressive and modern style,” he said.
“We need a complete overhaul of the system so that we can produce players with an aggressive mindset.”
Cricket is dead in Pakistan
“We were thrilled that an international event had finally returned to our country, but the joy was short-lived,” said 26-year-old Umar Siraj, a pharmacist in Rawalpindi.
“The hardest part of being a Pakistan fan is that you end up praying for other teams to lose,” he chuckled. “It’s painful. I’m gutted.”
Pakistan’s Champions Trophy flop is nothing new. They also crashed out of the 2023 ODI World Cup in the first round in India.
Fans blame ‘losers mindset’
For the fans, the loss against India brought a now-familiar heartache.
Moiz Umer, a cafe owner in Karachi, said customers asked him to change the TV channel to “avoid the humiliation” of witnessing their Champions Trophy defeat to India.
“For large parts of the Indian innings, a good number of people turned their backs to the match – facing their friends instead of the screen, such was the disappointment,” said the 45-year-old in the city of Karachi.
Fans who didn’t look away watched India outclass Pakistan for the second time in eight months in an ICC event, following their clash in the ICC T20 World Cup.
“It was such a big match and we went down with a whimper,” said 42-year-old Zain Mursaleen, among around a hundred spectators with a deflated mood who had gathered to watch the match in Karachi.
In the garrison city adjacent to the capital Islamabad, the atmosphere was sombre from the outset before India’s star batter Virat Kohli struck an unbeaten 100.
“They came to the game with a loser’s mindset and never attempted to attack,” said 53-year-old chef Rasheed Saleem. “I doubt they even realise how disheartening it is for fans to see them go down like this.”
