"Our players' skill set not as formidable as before": Sohail Tanvir on Pakistan Cricket's struggles

Dubai [UAE], October 7 (ANI): Former Pakistan pacer Sohail Tanvir believes Pakistan cricket can regain its past glory by identifying the underlying reasons behind its recent struggles and maintaining continuity in its domestic cricket system. Pakistan achieved its golden era in cricket during Imran Khan's captaincy through fierce competitiveness, historic bilateral dominance, and a legendary 1992 ICC ODI World Cup triumph. However, the team has struggled to maintain the same level of consistency in recent years. Pakistan suffered a series of Test defeats in 2026, losing to Bangladesh by 104 runs in May, followed by another 78-run defeat later that month. In July, they lost to the West Indies by 90 runs. Pakistan then endured three consecutive defeats against England in August, losing by an innings and 103 runs, 194 runs, and eight wickets in September. Reflecting on Pakistan's cricketing decline, Tanvir said every cricketing nation goes through phases and stressed that the current downturn does not mean the country's cricketing glory cannot return. 'In my opinion, look, every cricketing nation goes through phases. As you rightly pointed out in your question, the 90s were the best era for me as a cricketer--I was growing up as a kid during that time. We witnessed Pakistan producing legendary names, and every single one of them was a genuine match-winner. However, that doesn't stay forever. As the saying goes, peak glory never lasts permanently,' Tanvir told ANI. 'Right now, I feel that our players' skill set is perhaps not as formidable as it used to be back in the day. But that doesn't mean it won't return. These are regular ups and downs in sport,' he added. Tanvir said the priority should be to identify the root causes behind Pakistan's decline and address them effectively. 'I hope we can sort out the underlying causes and reasons behind this decline as quickly as possible. Once you accurately identify the reasons and actively work on addressing them, there is no reason why we cannot witness that peak glory once again,' he said. Asked whether Pakistan cricket needs to invest more in domestic cricket, Tanvir agreed but emphasised that continuity in the system was more important than simply increasing investment. 'Agreed. But in my opinion, if we simply maintain continuity in our system, that is what's truly vital. Every nation obviously invests, and we do too. If I look at the domestic facilities during our playing days, compared to that, today's facilities are probably superior,' the former Pakistan cricketer said. Tanvir pointed out that frequent changes to the domestic structure have created instability and believes this has contributed significantly to Pakistan's current struggles. 'What matters most is system continuity. In our case, we have tinkered far too frequently with our domestic system. That instability, in my view, is the real reason behind the decline we are seeing today,' he added. Across all three formats, the 41-year-old Tanvir has played 121 matches and taken 130 wickets. In Tests, he has five wickets from two matches at an average of 100.80; in ODIs, Tanvir has 71 wickets from 62 matches at an average of 36.14, including one five-wicket haul and no four-wicket hauls; while in T20Is, the left-arm seamer has 54 wickets from 57 matches at an average of 26.92. (ANI)