Former batsman-turned-commentator, Ramiz Raja, believes there is a genuine need for Pakistan to be unafraid making big decisions when it comes to selections. 

The aim, Ramiz says, should be to build a young team capable of producing results across formats, in varying conditions. 

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While Pakistan lost the Test series in UK only 1-0 and ended-up levelling the T20Is 1-1 against England, Ramiz thinks the team management and the selectors shouldn't just be content with decent results and eye constant progress. 

“I feel teams are fine-tuning their combination and Pakistan needs to learn. I am still saying that unless you see the combinations from all angles, it will not be a wholesome exercise for the World Cup," said the 58-year-old on Pakistan broadcaster Sawera Pasha's YouTube show, 'Cric Cast'. 

"England and Australia are still in the experimental stage, even though they are well-established sides. But Pakistan is trying as though they want the combination now itself and it will be seen whatever happens after 8 months. They want to make an established unit now itself and just start winning."

“I think to get the direction, we need to be ruthless. I remember when Imran Khan had become the leader, he had a net of experienced players surrounding him."

”I don’t want to take names, but there were 5-6 players who could have played for one or two years. He got rid of all of them and just kept Javed Miandad and built a young team. We had a very young team in the 1992 World Cup," Ramiz added. 

Ramiz has been vocal for quite a while against Pakistan's propensity to go back to players like Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, both at the wrong end of their thirties, and no longer considered for the Test and ODI outfits. 

Hafeez and Malik are still playing T20Is for Pakistan, a format where they might argue they are still contributing but certainly also one where other international teams tend to trial their young talent. 

“You need to be ruthless first of all in the selection and you should have a proper direction," said Ramiz. "You need to tell everyone that you are trying new players, even though you may not get the desired results immediately."

“The second thing is that you need to keep the friendships aside, people you have played together with. Selection should be only performance-based. I feel at times we think only about the present in just trying to win and don’t focus on the future."

“And there is a hotchpotch situation, on one side side we have made Babar Azam the captain and the on other side we have picked two individuals who are almost 40 years old. So, I am not understanding what direction we are trying to take."

“I agree Hafeez had an outstanding, I would say honeymoon period and if he serves Pakistan like this then no one would have any problem. But pressure would get created on him eventually and if we don’t prepare his replacement, then you will again appear reluctant in blooding youth," he signed off.