'Have spoken to Eoin Morgan and Virat Kohli' - Imam ul Haq explains why Pakistan has failed to match standards of their Indian counterparts

Pakistan cricket has been on a steady decline over the last decade or so. A brute force in the 1990s and early 2000s, the Asian giants are a shadow of their own now. Their arch-rivals, India, on the other hand, have grown in stature and emerged as one of the top teams in the world. The Men in Blue, at the moment, can field three international sides and every team can give the best sides a run for their money.

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Pakistan opener Imam ul Haq reflected on the contrasting trajectories of both teams and explained that, unlike India or England, Pakistan's unwillingness to give their young players a long run is pulling them down. Imam reckons that Pakistan management should trust the abilities of their players and give them considerable opportunities to nurture.

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"I have spoken to Eoin Morgan and Virat Kohli, two of the most successful captains in white-ball cricket. I have heard from them and their players that the cricketers get a full go and a proper run to prove themselves. I think this is where we are lacking," Imam told sports presenter Sawera Pasha on the YouTube show 'Cricast'. "I think if we find that consistency, we will get better results. In South Africa, we managed to chase 330, because the core of the ODI side has been the same for a while."

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The southpaw further pointed out that Indian Premier League (IPL) has played a huge role in shaping up Indian cricket, adding that not getting a chance to play in a tournament of the calibre of IPL has left Pakistan players behind others.

"In India, IPL has made a big difference. The batsmen face the same bowlers in international cricket whom they have already faced in IPL and have even done well against them. So when they face these bowlers in international cricket, there is less of a mental barrier. For Pakistan, a player is directly drafted in from domestic cricket, so he finds it difficult to make that immediate adjustment," Imam explained.

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