The cost of illusion
When the public is sold a fantasy of invincibility, every dropped wicket and every lost match becomes a betrayal of the ordinary fan who lines up for tickets, sells chai at the ground, and hopes the national team will bring home a win. The financial ripple is palpable: broadcasting rights, sponsor payouts and street‑vendor earnings all hinge on a team that, by Babar’s own admission, is no longer in the running. The media’s refusal to acknowledge this defeats the very purpose of sports journalism – to hold power accountable, not to perpetuate a self‑congratulatory echo chamber.
What Babar’s honesty forces on the PCB
The ICC interview also highlighted the PCB’s decision to inject a “quartet of inexperienced players” into the squad. That move, while framed as “giving youngsters opportunities to express themselves,” is a tacit admission that the current senior core cannot deliver the results the nation demands. It is a gamble that places the future on untested shoulders while the present collapses under the weight of expectation.
