Former Pakistan fast bowler and current selector Aaqib Javed has said that the growing league culture has hurt Pakistan cricket. Speaking on a private TV channel programme, he said that league cricket has affected Pakistan, West Indies, and Sri Lanka the most.
He said that only 5 to 6 Test matches, 8 to 10 ODIs, and more than 35 T20 matches are played throughout the year, after which players go on to play in three different leagues where around 40 matches are played.
Aqib Javed added that a player who plays 90 T20 matches in a year does not play even a single first-class match. “So where will your cricket go after two years? If you are not playing red-ball cricket, how will your performance improve?” he asked.
The Director High Performance said that he joined Pakistan cricket in October two years ago, and they worked on the category system and abolished Category A because performances were not improving under it. He added that they can no longer award Category A to players just for the sake of it.
The former fast bowler said that if you ask anyone, they will say they are not interested in playing Test cricket. He pointed out that teams like the West Indies, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Australia are also facing issues, as they are struggling to produce quality fast bowlers.
The chief selector further said that he has no ego problem regarding spinners, and that when decisions are made, they are not influenced by outside discussions. He added that they were aiming to improve the team for the Champions Trophy, but the results did not turn out as expected.
Read more: Pakistan to test fitness of injured red-ball players today
