Wasim Akram, the former Pakistan fast bowler, tried to differentiate between the cricketing structure in India and Pakistan. In the last decade or so, Pakistan have won a couple of ICC trophies and were also the number-one ranked T20I team. However, the team has often been criticised of inconsistent performances. Recently, they slipped down to fourth in the T20I rankings.

Akram said that the people in charge at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) didn’t have a long-term goal and first-class cricket wasn’t their top priority. Akram, who ended his international career with over 900 wickets, said that despite having adequate talent, Pakistan have strained to deliver.

“Whoever came to the cricket board, he came with a short-team goal. There was no fixing of First-Class structure. What’s been going on for the last 30 years, they did nothing different from it. So that is the reason,” Akram told former Indian batsman Aakash Chopra on YouTube.

“There’s plenty of talent in Pakistan. The FC structure has now finally changed but you still need 3-4 years for it to show results,” he stated.

They changed the FC structure: Wasim Akram

Even as the southpaw was critical of the PCB, he heaped praises on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for being organised. Akram mentioned that the Indian board used the money from the Indian Premier League (IPL) to increase the standards of first-class cricket.

“What did India do? The money generated by the IPL, invested whole-heartedly in First-Class cricket. They changed the FC structure, the pay structure, everything. They brought in professionals – they have the best physios and trainers in the world.

“Former Indian cricketers have become good coaches themselves. They then in turn have employed individual coaches, which is the need of the hour. So that is where the difference is,” he added.

As far as coaches are concerned, India currently have Ravi Shastri, who was a member of the 1983 World Cup-winning squad in England. He first got the job back in 2017 after Anil Kumble stepped down following his cold war with Indian skipper Virat Kohli.

Shastri helped India move up the rankings and managed to retain his spot last year. The Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), then headed by Kapil Dev, decided to re-appoint Shastri based on his performances with the Men in Blue.