Pakistan selector Aqib Javed has offered a rare, candid selection-room window into what he believes separates India from Pakistan right now, and it isn’t captaincy debates or coach changes.
In his view, the real gap is structural: how consistently a system manufactures talent, then hardens it through competition until performances become routine rather than miraculous.
“Talent is the base….everything else is decoration”: Aaqib Javed
Speaking on a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) podcast, Javed said he has actively studied India’s rise and tried to borrow the right lessons, not in slogans, but in planning. “I have looked at India’s success and have tried to execute plans for the betterment of Pakistan cricket. Any cricket nation’s success is based on its talent,” he said, as quoted by PTI.
Javed’s argument is that Pakistan’s problems can’t be solved by rotating faces at the top if the conveyor belt below keeps stuttering. He pointed to the sport’s basic things, the boring, unglamorous foundations, as the area where Pakistan fell away
His bluntest assessment was also the simplest: leadership appointments are limited by what the system produces. “No matter who you appoint as captain, coach, or selector, unless you don’t have the quality in talent, nothing changes,” Javed said, before outlining what he considers the non-negotiables for building that quality.
For Javed, “talent” isn’t a mysterious gift; it is a numbers game backed by infrastructure. The way forward, he insisted, is to widen the pool and force players to earn their place repeatedly. “And quality of talent can be assured by increasing the bench strength and competition, and this is only possible with proper infrastructure and system,” he added.
Javed also struck a more optimistic note about the current moment, suggesting Pakistan are beginning to see the benefits of stronger depth and clearer roles. “Indications are all there, we have good players, they have combined well, and importantly, there is a choice of players now,” he said.
That belief fed into his World Cup outlook too. Javed implied conditions matter, and that familiar environments change the equation for Pakistan. “If Pakistan had been in, say, Australia or South Africa, I would have thought differently. But (this) is the best time for the team to do well,” he said.
In essence, Javde’s message is uncomfortable but clean: stop treating crises like a personality problem. Fix the factory, and the rest will fall in order automatically.
