After Pakistan’s three consecutive defeats to India and the loss in the final of the Asia Cup, something was bound to happen and it did. A document surfaced bearing the signature of PCB’s Chief Operating Officer, Sameer Ahmed Syed, announcing that NOCs for Pakistani players to participate in international T20 leagues were being put on hold.

As soon as the news broke, criticism poured in from social media and YouTube channels. People said the board had damaged its own credibility ,that there were no professionals running it, and that such decisions could harm Pakistan’s relations with other cricket boards, which might then refuse to send their players to the Pakistan Super League.

In reality, if we look closely, this entire move seems to be a damage-control measure after the Asia Cup defeat. The PCB wanted players to return to domestic cricket and play there and in principle, this was a positive step. But unfortunately, most Pakistani cricketers now seem focused only on playing in leagues and representing the country in T20 format, which poses a serious challenge for the PCB: how to attract players back to first-class cricket.

Otherwise, with the ICC already considering introducing a two-division system in Test cricket, and T20 cricket growing rapidly around the world as seen recently when Nepal defeated former world champions West Indies in a T20 series in Sharjah .Pakistan cricket could find itself in serious trouble.

Issues like experimentation, unfair selections, and favoritism by senior players in first-class cricket can only be resolved at the board level. Sadly, many former cricketers who once suffered under such problems are now repeating the same mistakes after joining the board proving their own incompetence. The only real solution is a system based on merit and transparency. Writing this may be easy, but implementing it is extremely difficult perhaps very difficult.

Still, a start must be made somewhere. Current PCB chairman Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi is considered an influential leader. He and his team should ensure at least a few key reforms for instance, making a minimum of four first-class matches mandatory for every season.

In England, Australia, India, South Africa, New Zealand even Sri Lanka cricketers who play four-day matches are highly valued. But in Pakistan, performance in T20s is treated as the ultimate yardstick. That may not be entirely wrong, but even T20 success cannot be achieved without the foundation of long-format cricket.

The PCB must make it a rule that any player representing Pakistan in Test cricket automatically qualifies for at least a “B” category central contract. Only by strengthening Test cricket can Pakistan’s ODI and T20 formats progress and improve.