Australian cricketers reasserted that they not only rule the present, but also the future, with a thumping victory over India in the Under-19 World Cup final. The victory comes just a few months after the Australian senior team won the Cricket World Cup.

However, despite the disappointment of the final, Indian cricket fans will also be buoyed by the fact that their teenage stars emulated the senior team — the Indian national team dominated the 2023 World Cup before losing the final to Australia. In fact, apart from topping the batting and bowling charts, six members of the ‘team of the tournament’ were Indians, compared to two Australians. Similarly, the top statistical performers at the Under-19 tournament were mostly Indians, while the team of the tournament included four Indians, compared to two Australians.

But India’s ability to produce top talent is also due to the country’s raw population of over a billion people. Australia, on the other hand, dominates the game despite being home to just 26 million people — less than the population of Delhi. In fact, Australian state teams regularly trounce touring national teams in friendlies and warm-ups, which shows just how deep their talent pool runs. In fact, Australians are among the top performers in every sport because the country invests in sports infrastructure, training programmes and coaching, which allows them to discover talented athletes early and help them reach their true potential.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s domestic cricket system has long been criticised for its lack of competitiveness and professionalism. Many of our top athletes in different sports have come up despite the system and not because of it. And while quality training is expensive, Pakistan’s cricket set-up is relatively cash-rich. Unfortunately, it is ethically poor, and with internal politics leading to regular, poorly planned revamps of the domestic system, and the inclusion of match fixers — literal convicted criminals — in the Pakistan Cricket Board, it is no wonder that the game is not a priority for our sports administrators.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 14^th, 2024.

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