The sorry state of affairs of Pakistan cricket has been fully exposed after a humiliating defeat against Bangladesh in the third and last one day international of the series. This historic whitewash has caused Pakistan to slip into eighth position in the International Cricket Council rankings, just above Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. Throughout the series, a contrast of performances was seen from both sides. A team that used to be a formidable opponent has become a victim of politics and a centre of controversies. The newly selected squad failed to perform as a unit in all areas of the game. Although there were individual performances, yet the players failed to sustain the pressure built by the Bangladeshi bowlers on their home turf. Captain Azhar Ali spearheaded his side’s effort with 101, but Pakistan wasted a good start and lost its last eight wickets for 47 runs. Our batsmen are unable to follow the simple techniques of rotating the strike and playing till the last over. They often throw away their wickets by poor shot selection, which shows the level of coaching they have been receiving. The Pakistani bowlers were seen as helpless against the batting prowess of the Bangladeshi batsmen. They failed to take quick wickets and were badly thrashed, while fielding flaws added to the misery of Pakistan. On the other hand, the Bangladesh team played sensible cricket. Tamim Iqbal, who was given the man of the series award, secured victories for his team by posting two consecutive centuries and a half century in the last game. There was a visible change in the batting, fielding and bowling of the Bangladeshi players who have improved a lot in the last few years. The presence of inherited flaws and the nature of the defeat show that the problem lies elsewhere. A management shake-up has become mandatory. The debacle indicates the presence of favouritism, nepotism and the violation of merit that are causing the downfall of cricket in Pakistan. There is a need for a massive improvement in the cricket structure. Besides flaws in the administrative and managerial affairs, young blood and quality players are not provided with ample opportunities to show their full talent. The performance of quality players should not be judged on one or two performances. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) needs to invest in new talent and give them some time to be groomed. Meanwhile, it should try to remove the flaws of the current players. Domestic cricket needs to be overhauled so that talent is identified at an early stage and groomed properly. The PCB can learn from the example of successful Cricket Australia that has made its domestic cricket structure very competitive. It is high time that Pakistan should wake up and take steps for resolving the cricket crisis. *