World Cup 2023: The Elite-Mediocrity Paradox - Where Pakistan stumbles Everytime

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Pakistan's World Cup hopes are in tatters after their latest debacle against Afghanistan. On a bright afternoon in Chennai, Pakistan's fate turned grey as they fell to their third consecutive defeat in the World Cup 2023.

It was not something many would have expected, as Pakistan stumbled against Afghanistan, a team which had never tasted victory in the previous seven meetings against them.

Pakistan batted well in patches. Captain Babar Azam was the main contributor with the willow, while the cameos of Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Alam took them to 282 after fifty overs. Although it was looking like a competitive total, which would definitely be a challenging one for Afghanistan, it wasn't as it looked.

Afghanistan made a mockery of the run chase and its preemptive theories. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran stitched a magnificent 130-run opening wicket stand And then they took on and took apart the Pakistani bowlers to register their second victory in the World Cup And their first-ever ODI victory over their neighbours in the east.

What Afghanistan did was truly brilliant, but today it is all about Pakistan. The once giants who had all the artilleries in their Arsenal are now being slayed by the minnows at the grandest stage.

In 2013, if one had said Pakistan would be challenged by Afghanistan in cricket some ten years in the future, the majority of the Pakistanis would have grinned with a smile and would have told to get adequate sleep or check their emotional state, as the person is not thinking straight.

Yes, how can the country whose shirt was donned by the likes of Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Inzamam and many more..... be beaten by the Afghans?

But Alas! It has become a reality, as Pakistan got its bitter taste on Monday. An Afghan side not only just beat Babar Azam and his boys, but beat them with ease. There was no such exertion from the Afghani players to see off Pakistan in the match.

Is Pakistan that good anymore?

In the past few editions of the World Cup, Pakistan have performed terribly. In 2003 and 2007, they were knocked out of the group stages. The 2011 edition was a good one as they reached the semifinals. The 2015 World Cup saw them being skinned by Australia in the quarterfinals, and again a group stage exit in 2019 - this has been Pakistan's run since their runners-up performance in the World Cup 1999.

Now this makes the question legitimate, is Pakistan that good anymore, or it's just so much hype and no inner substance?

The talent in Pakistan has seen a downward steep in the last decade or so. We have seen players coming and playing a few good matches, and then they are just disappearing. Players like Umran Akmal, Junaid Khan have failed to keep their consistency, while others who have been so much hyped just haven't been good enough.

Pakistan and Elite-Mediocre Paradox

A paradox is something which contradicts what actually it is. It is more of a theory-practical mismatch and in Pakistan cricket, this has been a reality. In terms of the outer shell, the Pakistan cricket team looks great. They possess some excellent talents in their ranks. But when you take a deeper look within, there are pores which are being penetrated repeatedly by various teams.

The Controversies

Pakistan's dismal performances in the past few World Cups have just been a reason for their mismanagement of talent and sometimes expanding their chests way more than it actually requires.

There has been speculation on Babar Azam's captaincy, the omission of Imad Wasim, baffling team selection which has already integrated with Pakistan's World Cup 2023. And even in the yesteryears, we shall find many of these.

In 2007, Pakistan's then-coach Bob Woolmer passed away in mysterious conditions. There was speculation of murder by strangulation. In 2011, they were just recovering from the spot-fixing scandal, which saw Salman Butt, Mohammed Asif, and Mohammed Amir facing a ban on cricket for their disgraceful roles.

The Administration

Inside Pakistan cricket, there are often infights. The Pakistan Cricket Board, which is supposed to be an institution guiding their cricket forward, has been ravaged by internal unrest and political turmoil. In the last few years, we have seen a procession of PCB presidents, which has kept on changing with their dynamic short-lived political stints.

They have tried to imitate BCCI, rather than emulate them. And lack of resource, and planning have only brought ill in the approach.

The Former Players

Add the former players to the list as well. The Pakistani ex-cricketers often have a free ground to speak no holds barred against any current players. We often see poorly-judged criticisms from ex-players on current players on TV shows and on social media.

They don't maintain any kind of barrier of talking when it comes to criticising the team, which makes a real negative impact, not only among the players, but among the fans as well.

The Current Players

When it comes to the Elite-Mediocre paradox, another huge question is on the players. Are the talents they possess in this World Cup really as good as they are being portrayed? The stats won't speak the same. As Indian commentator Ravi Shastri pointed out on Shaheen Afridi's hype recently, it is a general thing in Pakistan.

They often tend to inflate a player with a small sample size and it creates a massive expectation. This eventually comes back to haunt them in the biggest ICC stages, where Pakistan stumble and get knocked out every single time.

And these things on and off the field have often taken a toll on the Pakistan team in World Cups. Can the reason for their serial failure be pinned on the grave lack of proper administration and perhaps a bit more showing than they actually are? Well, let you judge that Paradox/Fact.

Can Pakistan still make it to the WC 2023 Semifinal? Yes, they definitely can on papers. But they don't look like it at the moment. And even if they do and go on and do wonders, their root needs a cleansing, a deeper cleansing which will permanently treat their chronic disorder.